Threadbare
by deceptive-serenade
Summary: College life was a bit lonelier for Annabeth than she'd predicted. Percy had been an unexpected addition to her life, but after watching him wear himself out on his long shifts at Starbucks and dealing with his abusive stepfather, she realized he might have needed her more than she'd originally thought. AU, Slightly OOC. Percy/Annabeth.
1. Chapter 1

**Threadbare**

College life was a bit lonelier for Annabeth than she'd predicted. Percy had been an unexpected addition to her life, but after watching him wear himself out on his long shifts at Starbucks and dealing with his abusive stepfather, she realized he might have needed her more than she'd originally thought.**  
**

**Chapter One**

_Luke: Are you sure you don't want to come back to California this summer?_

_Annabeth: Yeah. I like New York, and I love my classes. _

_Annabeth: Besides, the lease isn't up on the apartment until the end of August._

_Luke: Not even to visit?_

_Annabeth: Why, miss me? ;)_

"Hey, can I sit here? Everywhere else is taken."

Annabeth glanced up quickly and nodded before gazing back at her laptop screen. She barely registered the boy sit down in the empty seat across from her. Her attention was solely fixed on the Skype conversation, feeling anxious as she waited for Luke's reply.

_Luke: Yes, I miss my girls. They're too far away._

_Annabeth: You could always visit us…_

_Luke: I can't get off time from work. :(_

_Annabeth: :(_

_Luke: Are you and Thalia still getting along?_

_Annabeth: Of course. Just because we're living together doesn't mean we'll stop being best friends._

_Luke: How's her protesting going?_

_Annabeth: Hasn't she told you?_

_Luke: Just asking._

_Luke: Hey, I've gotta go. Tell her hi from me._

_Annabeth: So soon?_

_Luke: Yeah. Crazy boss. I'll ttyl._

_Annabeth: ttyl._

With a frown, she closed her laptop and bit her lip. It seemed all of her and Luke's conversations had been cut short like this, and she'd had an inkling that he and Thalia weren't speaking. Both insisted everything was fine, but she'd known them since she was seven. She _knew_ them. There was something strange going on.

She'd never admit it aloud, but she did tend to pay more attention to Luke's conversations. It was natural when one had a crush on a guy for more than ten years. Though she wasn't so sure of that anymore. It was dwindling.

Annabeth sighed and let her eyes travel to the boy in front of her. He smiled politely, looking very tired as he sipped his large coffee. He was wearing the green, coffee-stained Starbucks apron all the baristas behind the counter were wearing. He must've been on break.

"You go to NYU?" he asked suddenly, leaning back in his chair. Annabeth glanced down at her purple sweatshirt. New York University's crest was embroidered onto the front.

"Yeah," she answered, nodding. He seemed to be around her age. "Do you?"

"Just finished second year."

"First," she said, offering a small smile in his direction. He was cute. He had that boyish look to him, however tired he seemed with his messy hair and bags under his bright green eyes. "Are you taking classes this summer?"

"Nope. But I'm guessing you are?" he said, acknowledging the pile of textbooks beside her chair. "What are you taking?"

"I'm in the architecture program," she said, trying her best not to boast.

He raised his eyebrows. "Impressive."

"Thank you," she said, smiling again. Was he flirting? She wouldn't know. She'd never really flirted with anyone, not even Luke. "What are you taking?"

"Marine biology. Sort of." He shrugged, looking sheepish at Annabeth's questioning gaze. "I don't know if I'll be going back. I lost my scholarship."

"Damn."

"Yeah," he said wistfully. "Mind you, I got in for swimming, and marine biology is a lot more demanding than I'd anticipated."

Annabeth's eyes involuntarily dropped to the boy's torso. Cute, smart _and_ a swimmer's body. Goddamn. Her cheeks burned, but he hadn't noticed anything.

"So you got kicked off the team?" she asked.

"Yeah," he admitted, not seeming too concerned. "I mean, I miss the scholarship, but I don't really like swim meets. My coach loves me, though, he lets me use the pool whenever I want."

"Have you been to the ocean a lot?" she asked, thinking back to her hometown. One of her favourite pastimes was swimming in the ocean in the summer. She felt a pang in her chest. Maybe she should've taken up Luke's offer to visit.

"Not a lot, but I have." The boy's cheeks were flushing, slightly. "I love the ocean."

"Me too."

"Are you from here?"

"No, I'm from San Francisco," she admitted, and he chuckled.

"So you go swimming in the ocean a lot," he said, almost wistfully. She nodded. "How are you liking New York, then?"

"I like the school a lot," she said, absent-mindedly tracing the apple on the lid of her laptop. "I haven't really gotten a chance to explore the city as much as I would like to."

"Was your first year demanding?"

"Yeah."

He nodded in understanding and took another sip of coffee. "It's pretty touristy around here. Are you into that stuff?"

"To an extent, I suppose…"

He smiled. "Well, I could always show you the beach, if you want to go. Nothing like California beaches, but if you're ever feeling nostalgic –"

"JACKSON!" His head whipped around as an elderly lady called him from behind the counter of the shop. "Your break ended five minutes ago!"

Annabeth saw him roll his eyes as he turned back to her. "No one's lined up. She's just bugging me."

She chuckled. "Shouldn't you be getting back?"

"Why, are you trying to get rid of me?"

Now he was definitely flirting. She shook her head and tried her best not to blush. "Just thought you wouldn't want to get in trouble."

"I'm always in trouble," he said dismissively, waving a hand.

Annabeth shook her head in amusement. "How long have you worked at Starbucks?"

"A few years. It was my first job," he explained.

"And your last, if you don't get you butt over here!" his boss called again.

"I'm coming, sheesh!" But he made no effort to move, keeping his attention on Annabeth. "Do you have a job?"

"I worked in a grocery store when I was in high school." She looked around the coffee shop. It was busy and flooded with students. There was something she loved about it the atmosphere there. "I've always wanted to work here, though. It seems entertaining."

"You end up smelling like coffee beans for the rest of your life."

"Just a plus," she teased. She hoped she was doing all right with this whole flirting thing. He was smiling, so it seemed like she hadn't screwed it up yet.

"Jackson!" the manager called again.

"Okay, I'm coming," he said resignedly. He finished up the last of his coffee, looking a little less tired. She watched as he rose, stretching his arms up before holding out his hand. "I'm Percy, by the way."

She shook his hand. "Annabeth Chase."

"Nice meeting you. See you around?"

"Sure," she found herself saying. He smiled and dropped her hand. Percy did really seem genuine. And nice. Which was more than what she could say for most of the guys she'd met in university so far. Annabeth packed her laptop and textbooks into her backpack, heaving it over the shoulder. He waved to her as she left the coffee shop.

Annabeth had never really warranted the kind of attention she wanted from boys. She was often seen as too tall. Or too nice. Or too intimidating. Something or another. She wasn't into one-night stands, unlike many of her classmates.

Or maybe it was Luke.

She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember, but it had always been the three of them. Luke, Thalia, Annabeth. Both of them were a few years older than her, but they'd never made her feel like the bratty little sister tagging along. They were the best friends she'd ever had.

Which was why she was nervous about going off to university and leaving them behind. She'd been more than a little surprised when Thalia decided to go with her and carry on with her activism in New York City. Although it made sense, with her career choice and all, Annabeth had sensed the divide in the group, though she hadn't a clue what happened.

Annabeth reached her apartment building. Not an overly nice place, but definitely better than the NYU dorms. She loved sharing an apartment with Thalia. She respected her space and let her study when she needed to. Annabeth fumbled with her bag for the key as she got to her door, kicking it open once it was unlocked.

"Annabeth?" Thalia called. "You home?"

"Yeah," she called back, dropping her backpack in the hallway beside her room. She wandered over to the living room/kitchen, taking in the newspaper spread across the floor. She had a giant board set on top of the papers and a can of black paint next to her. Thalia was an activist, participating in nearly every protest she could. It suited her need to express her opinion (loudly) and standing for what she believed in. Annabeth loved that she was always trying to be her own person, with her spiky black hair that fit her overall punk attitude.

Thalia looked up as Annabeth entered the room. "Hey."

"Hey there." Annabeth sat on the couch. "What are you making?"

"Another sign," she said, dipping her paintbrush in the can and fixing up a letter. Annabeth couldn't read what it said; being dyslexic was one thing, but dyslexia _and _reading upside down? No thanks. "Did you get some work done at Starbucks?"

"A bit."

"That's good."

"I talked to Luke."

She paused for only a millisecond before continuing painting. But Annabeth caught it. "That's good. What'd he say?"

"Hi. And that he misses us."

"Not enough to visit."

Annabeth shrugged, and Thalia straightened up and placed the paintbrush on the lid of the can. "He said he couldn't get time off from work."

"Sure."

"That's what he said."

"That's always what he says." Thalia wouldn't look Annabeth in the eye as she took the board from the floor and looked for a place to prop it up. "By the way, are you okay with me having a few friends over tonight?"

"Rachel again?"

"Yeah, and this guy we met, Grover." She put the board against the wall and moved a newspaper underneath it. "He's an environmentalist."

"Oh." Annabeth shrugged. "Well, sure. I'm just studying."

"You don't want to join us?"

"I'm not that interested in watching documentaries and drinking beer."

"We eat popcorn, too," Thalia defended, and Annabeth laughed. "Okay, well as long as you're okay with it. We won't be too loud."

"Don't worry about it." Annabeth wandered off into the kitchen, hoping her expression wouldn't betray her. She was glad Thalia was making new friends and all, but either Annabeth was too busy or just plain sucked at making friends.

She really was thankful for Luke and Thalia, who'd been her family since her parents divorced when she was five. But as much as it pained her to admit it, she still needed them, and they were a bit absent at the moment. As much as Annabeth loved architecture and NYU, it wasn't enough.

She couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!"

Percy kicked off his shoes and ran to the kitchen. His mom was at the stove, stirring a pot of pasta sauce. He engulfed her in a hug that made her laugh. "Percy, I'm cooking!"

"Hey, mom," he said, kissing her bony cheek. "Spaghetti tonight?"

"Yes," she said, slapping his hand away from the sauce. "Gabe will be home for dinner."

Percy's arms fell limp, his good mood evaporating immediately. There was no one he hated more than his step-father. At the beginning, he was all smiles and caring, but as soon as he married Percy's mother, he became manipulative, demanding.

Abusive.

Percy didn't like to think about all the times he'd had to protect his mother because Gabe was on a drunken rampage. He couldn't stand how much he'd hurt her. His mother was possibly the sweetest person he knew, and she never deserved any pain.

But they were stuck. Not only could they not afford a divorce, they couldn't afford their _apartment_ without Gabe. Percy's mother already worked two jobs just to bring food into the house before Gabe stole the rest of her paycheck for alcohol. And now that Percy lost his scholarship…

"Great," Percy mumbled, reaching into the cupboards for plates and beginning to set the table. "Just great."

"It'll be fine," she said soothingly.

"Maybe." He sighed. And he was having a pretty good day. He'd gotten his bi-weekly paycheck and made sure to deposit it before Gabe could lay his greedy eyes on the numbers and force him to fork it over. He hadn't spilled any coffee on him today. He managed to talk to a pretty girl without seeming _too_ nervous.

One day, maybe he'd talk to one without word vomiting.

One day.

"How was work today?" his mother asked.

"Good. By the way," Percy said, suddenly remembering. "I'm going to a friend's apartment with Grover after dinner."

"Which friend?"

"Don't actually know," he confessed sheepishly. "He said he met these cool girls at the environmental protest he was doing today. He wanted me to come."

"A double date?" she asked.

"No. Just watching movies."

His mom rolled his eyes and turned off the stove. "All right. So that means you're coming home tonight?"

Percy rolled his eyes this time. He wasn't a one-night stand kind of guy. He could barely flirt with girls without getting tongue-tied. "Of course."

"Just making sure," she teased, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "Why don't you go ahead and eat and leave before Gabe comes home?"

He paused, watching her closely. "Are you sure?" If Gabe was drinking, he could get violent when he didn't get what he wanted. And he was always drinking.

"A hundred percent," she assured him.

"You're taking the cell phone, then." They only could afford one basic phone bill.

"Are you sure? You need to walk home late –"

"Grover will be with me," Percy promised. "Keep the cell."

"All right."

"And you have to call me if _anything_ goes wrong."

"_Okay_."

"Seriously," he said, taking her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes. Just getting the message across. "If he's being horrible or if you're scared or anything. Just call. I'll be here. I'm only ten minutes away."

"Percy, I'll be fine," she said, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. "The fridge is stocked, he'll be out before you know it."

He let out a long breath and nodded.

He was on edge the entire time he was eating, despite the fact that Gabe wasn't home yet. He never trusted him if he could help it. Sure, he could pay the bills and rent on time, but he was vile and cruel and overall disrespectful in every way imaginable. Percy couldn't count the number of times he'd been beaten for standing up for his mother.

It was worth it.

So he was a mama's boy. It didn't matter to him. She was all she'd had for so long. His father left when he was younger, practically disappearing off the face of the earth. He was around ten years old when Gabe came around, and nearly ten years later, he was still wishing he'd leave. If only he'd said something. Just _once._ He was so afraid of messing with something that made his mom happy.

Percy shook the regret from his mind and shovelled down his spaghetti, aware his mom was watching him. She always did that. Smiled and watched him like he was still a baby.

"You're such a mother," he shot cheekily at her, mouth still full. She only laughed.

He made sure the cell phone was in her pocket before he took off in the direction of Grover's apartment. Even though Percy knew he had Grover, his best friend, and there were people like the guys on the swim team and the coach who gave a shit, he just couldn't shake the feeling that his mother was the only person he really cared about. He knew he was being parental and obsessive, but if something had happened to her… he shivered, despite the heat.

He was just scared for her. Or petrified. That worked too.

Grover was waiting outside his apartment building and wearing a shirt that "Treesome", featuring a couple of trees on the front, and Percy laughed. Grover was crazy about the environment. Percy swore that he was going to get beat up some day after giving someone his "Trees Need Love Too" speech.

"So who are these girls?" Percy asked as he followed Grover to wherever these girls lived. "My mom is convinced you've set me up."

Grover snorted. Percy supposed he knew better than to try that. "No. I'm pretty sure one of them has sworn off dating, anyway."

"Convenient."

"Thalia and Rachel," he said. "They're a bit older than you, more around my age. They're cool. They were talking about this documentary –"

"Grover," Percy cut in, moaning. "You guys aren't watching a documentary tonight, are you?"

Grover didn't say a word.

"Goddammit," he swore, kicking the sidewalk moodily. "Not again."

"Free drinks," Grover supplied weakly, but he knew it wouldn't help. Percy wasn't sworn off alcohol, but after seeing what it did to Gabe, he wasn't so fond of it. Grover didn't know any of this, of course.

"Great."

"Hey, just stick around for a couple of hours," he said pleadingly. "A favour to me. And to yourself. You need to stop working yourself into the ground."

"I need to pay my tuition," Percy replied automatically.

"You need to be sane to study." Grover nudged Percy. "Come on. I owe you."

"No, it's okay," Percy said, shaking his head. "You're right. I could use a drink and some time to relax."

"I'm sure you'll fall right asleep."

"Great," Percy mumbled again, and Grover laughed.

Well, at least his boredom was useful for something.

* * *

Annabeth couldn't make up her mind.

This was strange for her. She was normally a decisive person and sure of herself. But she couldn't decide whether it was too late to go in and join Thalia and her friends when she hadn't said hello when they'd first come in. But they were roommates, right? She didn't have an obligation. Was it rude? Maybe she could pretend she'd just gotten in – no, that wouldn't work, they could see the front door from the living room. Maybe if she was quiet, she could just tip toe out, open the door and quickly turn around and say hello. But Thalia would know and probably call her out on it.

Goodness, she just wanted her frozen pizza.

_Fuck it,_ she decided, slamming her pencil down and shoving her chair back. She hadn't eaten in eight hours and she was _starving._ To hell with it if it was rude. She really hated the way she overthought things sometimes. It couldn't be healthy.

The television was facing the opposite way of the kitchen, so she quietly padded into the hall and slipped into the kitchen. Her stomach was grumbling so much she thought it was going to cave into itself. The frozen air from the freezer was calming on her skin (this summer was unusually hot, and the lack of air conditioning didn't help). She stood there for a few seconds, revelling in the slight relief of heat before taking her beloved frozen pizza box from the freezer, heading for the microwave.

Then jumped about ten feet in the air.

Annabeth blinked repeatedly, her heart slowing from the scare. What was the cute barista from Starbucks doing in her kitchen?

"It _is_ you!" he exclaimed gleefully. "You live here?"

"_What the hell are you doing here_?" she said in a rushed whisper, holding the frozen pizza box to her chest. She hadn't even heard him come into the kitchen. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

He suddenly grinned sheepishly. "You probably think I'm stalking you."

"_Probably_?"

"I'm not!" he reassured quickly. "I came with Grover. He knows Thalia and Rachel."

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Small world," she commented, opening the box. Now that she knew Percy wasn't here to kill her, she was hungry again. "Didn't have any shifts tonight?"

"Nah, I've been working since five."

Annabeth turned back to him, stunned. "Five in the _morning_?" she asked, not believing her ears. He'd talked to her around three in the afternoon. Then _went back to work._

"Yeah," he said, unfazed. "I took two six-hour shifts."

"That's _twelve_ hours working, non-stop."

"Well, I had a break, as you know," he said, grinning at her. She turned away to hide her blush, busying herself with her pizza. He had an amazing smile. Why did he have to have an amazing smile?

"Why do you work so much?" she asked as she put her plate in the microwave. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Do you want to be manager or something?"

He snorted. "Only if it'd get me higher pay."

"Oh, so you need the money." He shrugged again, and Annabeth got the hint. She propped herself up onto the counter and crossed her arms around herself. "So how's the movie?"

"The _documentary_," he stressed, "is boring as hell."

"I suspected as much."

"Were you going to join?"

"I thought about it," she admitted. Sometimes she just wanted to be around people, even if she wasn't going to enjoy it. But she wasn't about to admit that to _him._ "I was mostly hungry, though."

"I can see that," he teased.

"Do you want any?" she asked, suddenly remembering her manners. _Good going, Annabeth._

"No thanks, I ate before coming here." He looked around the kitchen. It was small and plain with white walls, but it was clean. Mostly. "You and Thalia have a nice apartment."

"Thank you."

"How'd you end up rooming together?"

"We're actually both from San Francisco," she explained, reaching back to the microwave to get her pizza. "I've known her since I was seven."

"You must be close." She shrugged, and Percy raised an eyebrow. "Or not?"

"We're okay," She said shortly, taking her pizza and gesturing him to follow her. Thalia, Rachel and who she guessed was Grover didn't look up from the documentary as they passed into her room. Annabeth sat backwards on her chair and Percy sat on the only other available surface: her bed.

She was really hoping that wasn't suggestive.

"Are you and Grover close?" she asked, hoping she wasn't blushing again.

"Definitely," he said, looking around distractedly. "Ever since high school. You're really good at drawing buildings."

Annabeth noticed he was staring at the blueprints she was working on, tacked up on the bulletin board above her desk. She blushed again. Why was she blushing so much? "Thank you."

"You'll be a great architect," he said, still staring at the drawings.

"Quit flattering me." Okay, so maybe she wasn't the greatest at taking compliments. She shoved the rest of the pizza in her mouth to shut herself up, avoiding his grin.

"That's okay," he said, unconcerned, "you can just flatter me at my next swim meet."

_Half-naked Percy._ She'd noticed how good he looked, especially without the unflattering Starbucks apron in the way. _Fuck._

"So," she said, quickly changing the subject, "want to play cards or something?"

"Cards?"

"Or watch a movie on my laptop," she suggested. "Unless you're sick of movies."

"Let's play cards."

* * *

Maybe playing cards was a bad idea.

But also a very good idea, in a completely different way.

Annabeth was outwardly unnerved by Percy, and he couldn't tell why. Maybe he shouldn't have scared in the kitchen, but he hadn't _meant_ to. He could tell she really didn't like talking about herself. At all.

But Annabeth was very competitive, and when they were playing cards, this game where they were switching cards back and forth as fast as they could and their hands kept bumping into each other but they couldn't really play the game otherwise and it was as though something had lit in her. Like she'd come out of hiding, like she'd come alive.

And it was _so fucking hot._

"I win," she declared, slamming down her last card and sweeping the pile of cards towards her triumphantly.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You do _not._"

"I put it down first!"

"You did not!"

"We're playing again," she said stubbornly. They were playing to see who'd win best out of three, and they'd each won a game. "We can't declare a tie."

"Deal," he shot back. Though he didn't really care all that much about winning. She probably _had_ won that last round. But he didn't really want to leave yet. He reached to shuffle the cards, watching Annabeth practically jumping up and down, like she was warming up.

He dealt the cards quickly, looking up at her as they counted off to start. He found himself looking in her eyes again. They were grey. Interesting. _She_ was interesting. He didn't understand why he was already so invested in her.

"Three!" He stumbled upon flipping over his first card, accidentally giving her a head start. And then his head was back to cards, flipping them, lining them up. Her hand slammed on his accidently but she brushed it off, too focused on the game. He kept his grin to himself as he slammed his cards down, nearly losing them all, he had just one card left, but so did Annabeth and then –"

"GOT IT!" she yelled happily as she slammed down her last card. Percy couldn't claim otherwise; he couldn't put down his own card. He watched as she did a little dance. "I win!"

He grinned. "Yeah, you did." She blushed and immediately stopped dancing, much to Percy's disappointment.

"You're good," she said, picking up the cards. "No one's ever come so close to beating me."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he joked.

"It's all about the strategy."

He shook his head, still smiling. He lay back on Annabeth's comfortable bedroom floor and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired, and for some reason found the ground as a suitable temporary bed. He heard a giggle before hearing a gentle thump next to him. She'd lain down beside him.

"Tired?" she asked, her voice light and airy.

"Yeah."

"No more twelve-hour shifts, Percy."

"Gotta pay tuition," he repeated, shifting around to get comfortable. "Your carpet is very soft."

"No, it's really not. You're going to get back pain."

"I can take it."

"Percy, I don't think I can lift you. I'm sure you can crash on the couch if you get up."

"Nah, I've gotta get home." He opened his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. Annabeth was watching him curiously. "My mom's probably waiting up for me."

"You live with your mom?"

He suddenly felt defensive. "Yeah."

"That's nice," she said, and he relaxed. _Annabeth is nice, _he reminded himself. He just felt overly protective of his mother. To strange extremes. Annabeth rolled over onto her back and stared at her ceiling. "I wish I lived with my mom."

That was an odd wish for someone her age. "Why?"

"I've never lived with her," she said quietly. Very quietly, like it was a secret and there were others around. "She and my dad never married."

"Neither did my parents," Percy said, equally as quietly. He never thought _this_ was what they had in common.

"My step mother isn't so bad," she said, like she was trying to reason with herself. "Not really. She's annoying, though. She likes to try to act like my mom. Set curfews and tell me to eat better and makes me babysit. Then she tries to talk to me like we're best friends, about makeup and boys and school. I hate it."

"She's just trying."

"I hate that. But my real mom…" She trailed off. "Well, she never tries at all."

Percy stayed quiet for a moment. "So, _are_ there any boys?"

Out of the corner of her eye, he saw her lips twitch. "No."

"Oh."

"Do you talk to your mom about girls?" she asked, equally not-as-subtly.

"If there were any, I would." He turned to her. She was biting her lips, trying not to smile. "Might talk to her tonight." And without really realizing what he was doing, he was leaning in to kiss her.

He could feel her breath on his lips when she ducked away.

"Umm," she blurted out. Percy leaned back immediately. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to –"

"It's okay." She sat up, determinedly not looking at him. "Maybe you could take me out first. If you want to."

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Shit, he'd been really worried he'd been reading everything all wrong. It wasn't as if he'd done any of this before.

"Yeah," he said, sitting up as well. She finally looked up to him, and he smiled. "Of course I want to."

Annabeth still looked nervous for some reason, so he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed a brighter red, if that was possible. He was pretty sure his own face was the colour of a tomato.

"I'm just going to see if their movie is finished," she said softly, standing to peek out to living room and check. Percy ran a hand through his hair as he stood up. She seemed overly cautious again, and he hoped he hadn't messed up _too_ badly.

"I can leave, if you want," he offered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No no," she said immediately, slipping back in her room. "Don't leave. I didn't mean it like that."

"Okay," he said, relieved. "But, umm. I probably do have to go soon. Talk to my mom about girls and all."

That made her smile, and he was glad.

He went out the living room. Thalia, Rachel and Grover were in the same position on the couch as he'd left them. _Typical._ "Hey, Grover, I'm going to go!"

"Wha? Percy?" He tore his eyes away from the screen and twisted around. "I thought you left. Like an hour ago."

"Nope, I'm leaving now. You coming?"

"Yeah, just hold up a second. Movie's almost over." And he went back to staring at the screen, jaw automatically dropping. Percy chuckled and leaned against the wall, waiting.

"So you're working again tomorrow?" Annabeth had come out to the living room and was leaning against the opposite wall. Percy nodded and unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah. Ten o'clock, though. And only one shift."

"I may be studying there," she mentioned casually.

"I may be taking a lunch break."

She glanced back at our friends, who were cheering and clapping at the end of the movie. "Lunch break, huh?"

"Yep."

She quickly leaned up to kiss his cheek. It immediately tingled. Annabeth leaned back on her heels, smiling. "See you then," she said, hurrying back into her room. Percy didn't move. He was pretty sure he'd been stricken dumb.

Grover laughed at him the entire way home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Annabeth walked into Starbucks, peering expectantly behind the counter for Percy. Instead, she found an elderly lady who insisted Annabeth to call her by her first name, Grace. She also happened to be his boss. Or matchmaker.

"Hello, Grace," Annabeth greeted, shifting to the side of the counter so she wasn't in the way of the steadily growing line. "Where's Percy?"

"Hello," she answered distractedly, not taking her eyes off the whipped cream she was applying to a cup. "He's currently slacking off in the bathroom."

Annabeth grinned. "Or emptying his bladder."

"Not possible." Grace gave a wink in Annabeth's direction before handing the cup to the other barista working behind the counter. "He'll be on his lunch break soon."

"Could you let him know I'm sitting outside?"

"Of course. And Annabeth," she called as she was leaving, "I'm still waiting to hear how your first date with Percy went."

She blushed. "Hasn't happened yet."

Grace frowned. "Well, I'll have a word with him," she decided, narrowing her eyes towards the washrooms. Annabeth waved and left hurriedly before she could hear any of that, ducking out the door and sitting at one of the empty tables outside.

Though she did want to go on a date with Percy, she was really enjoying being his friend at the moment. Of course there were the obvious moments where she was _very_ aware of how attracted she was to him, but she didn't want to go too fast. He hadn't tried to kiss her again since the first day they met, but he also hadn't asked her out.

To be fair, she could see why. Percy practically _lived_ at Starbucks. He took on every shift he could. He barely slept in. The coffee was free, but he was often too tired to do anything but go home and sleep by the end of the day. He didn't exactly have much time for dating.

He doted on Annabeth, though. She blushed just thinking about it. Whenever she was there, it was hard to concentrate on studying. She caught him staring at her more than a few times. During his lunch breaks and five-minute breaks in between, they'd become _something._ A title for two people who liked to hold hands sometimes and exchanged kisses on the cheek even more rarely and blushed a lot. For two people who had become best friends in the span of two weeks. It felt as if she'd known him for her entire life.

God, she didn't think she'd ever _click_ with someone like that. But it was hard not to with Percy. He was funny and cute and a bit dense at times, but she found endearing. He was overly protective of his mother and she could tell he absolutely loved her. He was always looking on the bright side of things – something Annabeth wished she could do as well as he did. She was getting dangerously close to falling in love with this boy.

If that wasn't blatantly obvious.

"Hey," Percy greeted as he came outside, plopping down in the opposite chair at Annabeth's table. His black hair was sticking to the front of his forehead. The weather was not getting any better in New York, and after working another shift, she could see he was sweaty and exhausted.

"We're not hanging out today, are we?" She tried to keep her voice light and cheery, but she couldn't help but be disappointed. Sure, they'd hung out at Starbucks, but it wasn't the same. She'd hoped that since he was only working one shift that day, he'd be less tired, but…

As if sensing Annabeth's dismay, Percy sat up in his chair. "Yes we are."

"Percy, you're tired."

"I'm always tired."

"We'll hang out another day," she reasoned, but he shook his head and stood, ignoring her protests.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand and pulling her up. "I want you to meet my mom."

That shut her up.

Meeting Percy's mom would be a big deal. Well, wasn't meeting any parent a big deal in a relationship? But this was so much bigger. Percy's father left them when he was young, and Annabeth could tell that he'd clung to his mother. The way he talked about her… she just knew he respected her so much.

"Are you sure?" she asked weakly.

"Of course," he said matter-of-factly. It was too hot to hold hands, so he let go. Maybe reluctantly, Annabeth hoped. "She's been wanting to meet you for a while."

"From what I've heard, I'm really excited to meet her."

"She's the greatest," he said, not looking at Annabeth. "She's the best cook, too. Did I tell you about how she dyes everything blue?"

"You mean…" She raised an eyebrow. "Blue _food_?"

"Yeah." His eyes were shining, not really paying attention to where they were going anymore. "Years ago, she and my step-father got in this fight about how there wasn't any blue food. So she started dying everything blue. Especially chocolate chip cookies."

Annabeth felt a grin growing on her face. "You would've been such a cute kid."

"You speak as if things have changed," he joked, and Annabeth shoved him.

Her grin faded as they neared his apartment. The building was slightly run down. Not exactly falling apart, but it seemed to be very old. The surrounding houses and residents seemed to be the same way. Homeless people and old men were sitting on the porches, sharing a joint or drinking. She couldn't help but shift a little closer to Percy.

The elevator was small and rattled as it went up. Annabeth noticed how he was determinedly avoiding her eyes again, shooting her nervous smiles every once in a while. She couldn't help but wonder how many people had been to his apartment, let alone met his mom.

He lived on the fifth floor, which smelled distinctly of cat pee. His apartment was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the building, which Annabeth suspected was his mother's doing. It was a bit bigger than Annabeth and Thalia's apartment, with a decent-sized kitchen and living room. It was cozy. Annabeth immediately felt at home.

"Hey, Mom!" Percy called as he shut the door behind them, kicking off his shoes. "I'm home!"

"Make sure you lock the door!"

"I did!" he said, reaching behind to snap the lock shut. He grabbed Annabeth's hand, still not looking at her, and dragged her to the kitchen. "Mom, I want you to meet someone."

Mrs. Jackson was sitting at the dining table at the end of the kitchen, reading a newspaper. She was very, _very_ thin, in a frail sort of way. Her face lit up when she saw Percy and I.

"You must be Annabeth," she said, beaming at her.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Annabeth said genuinely. Percy squeezed her hand and finally met her gaze. He really was more nervous than he would ever admit.

"And you." Mrs. Jackson's voice became stern as she directed it towards her son. She looked him over pointedly. "You need a shower."

He rolled his eyes. "I can shower later."

"You do kind of smell, Percy."

"Shut up, Annabeth," he said playfully, making a face at her. He grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter on the way out, and she could see a patch of sweat at the back of his shirt.

At least his apartment had air conditioning.

"Why don't you sit down?" Percy's mother said kindly, getting up. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Water would be great," Annabeth replied, looking around. "You have a nice apartment."

"Thank you."

There was a pause in conversation as Mrs. Jackson stood to fill a glass of water and handed it to Annabeth. She felt an intense desire to say something before things got awkward. Or if Percy's mom decided she didn't like Annabeth much.

"Do you really dye all your food blue?" she blurted out. Mrs. Jackson laughed as Annabeth turned red. "Percy was just telling me."

"Ah. Well, yes. He does seem to like it."

"He would."

"I'm surprised they're not serving blue coffee at Starbucks by now," she joked, sitting back down at the table. Annabeth laughed.

"I'd give it a few more weeks."

"I thought the place would've smelled of chlorine when he went to work after practice," she added, shaking her head. "But without fail, he smelled like a coffee bean that had gone swimming."

"What're you two laughing at?" Percy asked suspiciously as he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later. His hair was damp and he smelled strongly of soap.

"We're laughing at you," Annabeth teased in between giggles.

Percy clutched at his chest dramatically as he sat down. "No! Anything but that!"

"It's just so easy," his mother said, ruffling his hair fondly. The act made Annabeth's heart ache. "What do you two want for dinner?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances. "Do you like tacos?" he asked.

"Is the earth round?"

"_Blue_ tacos?"

"We're not dying the taco shells, Percy," his mother said, as though they'd had this conversation a million times.

"One day, you'll agree," he said confidently.

"One day, you'll help me make tacos from scratch."

"Exactly," he said, grinning. Then, to Annabeth's surprise, he got up and started rummaging through his fridge, bringing out ingredients. For some reason, it was very strange for her to see a boy helping his mother with the cooking. And not only was he helping, it became very evident that he knew how to cook.

She couldn't but be impressed.

And slightly turned on.

Granted, making tacos after having pre-made shells wasn't exactly all that difficult, but she was impressed all the same. Percy had dumped practically every vegetable onto the counter and was working on cutting each of them into tiny pieces while his mother busied herself with the meat and rice on the stove.

"Can I do anything to help?" she asked, getting up to put her empty glass in the sink.

"There's cheese and sour cream and stuff in the fridge," he said, glancing behind him at the fridge and freezer covered with calendars, notices and old photographs. "You can get some of that stuff and put it into bowls."

As she began crushing cheese into a bowl, Percy was mashing an avocado into pulp. She watched, almost in a trance, as the muscles in his arms flexed as he worked at making the guacamole. From the corner of her eye, she caught Percy's mother watching her and she looked away immediately, blushing hard.

"I think that's enough," Mrs. Jackson teased. Annabeth looked back at the shredded cheese; the bowl was practically overflowing. Percy glanced over and laughed.

"I love cheese, don't worry," he assured her.

"Shut up," she muttered. He only chuckled and pecked her on the cheek before turning back to the guacamole. She kept her eyes trained to the counter in front of her, trying not to let her hand fly to her face or freak out, even though her heart was doing the opposite. He really didn't kiss her often.

She wouldn't really mind if he did, though.

"So, do you want to watch a movie?" Percy asked after they'd finished eating. Annabeth ignored him.

"You have sour cream and lettuce on your face," she said. He swiped furiously at his face as she giggled. Mrs. Jackson shook her head in amusement before handing him a napkin.

"Why don't you two start a movie while I clean up?" she suggested.

Percy wiped his face. "I'll help."

"No, you have a guest over." She practically pushed him out of the kitchen, despite his protests of doing the dishes.

Annabeth followed, a little suspicious by this point. It was sweet and all, that Percy helped his mother out so much, but even he had to take a day off from doing the dishes when he mother insisted. Percy was either very strange, or there was something strange going on. That entire night, he was nervous and jumpy – and it couldn't be only because Annabeth was meeting his mom.

Percy finally relented to letting his mother clean up and grabbed Annabeth's hand to drag her to the family room. It had small windows and wasn't as well lit as the kitchen, and she instantly felt nervous. Not a _bad_ nervous, but a tingly, excited sort of nervous.

When they sat on the couch, she noticed how close his was sitting and she felt the tiny fluttering in the pit of her stomach. He turned and put his arm around her, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"We don't have a DVD player," he said apologetically. "Usually we just flip through channels to see if any movies are playing."

"That's okay." She snuggled her head into his shoulder. From the corner of her eye, she saw him smile.

They found _Forrest Gump_ playing one of the channels. Although they both agreed they loved this movie, Annabeth noticed that Percy kept drifting off. Half an hour into the movie, he was snoring quietly into her hair, his breath pleasantly tickling the back of her neck.

She didn't have the heart to wake him after seeing how hard he worked. He woke up before sunrise, worked practically all day dealing with irritable, coffee-addicted customers, then came home and helped his mother with dinner and dishes. She wondered if anyone other than his mother ever appreciated him.

"Annabeth?" She looked up to see Mrs. Jackson whispering from the entrance of the family room. "Would you like any tea or coffee?"

"Sure…" Annabeth wordlessly glanced at Percy draped around her. Mrs. Jackson coaxed him onto the couch and a pillow underneath his head so Annabeth could slip out from underneath him. He didn't even open his eyes.

"God, he's so tired these days," Mrs. Jackson said once they were in the kitchen. She searched for two mugs as a pot of water boiled on the stove. "Sorry he fell asleep on you."

"It's okay," Annabeth answered, sitting down at the table. Percy's mother brought two steaming mugs of tea a few minutes later. "I see how hard he works. He deserves a break."

"Tuition isn't cheap," Mrs. Jackson said wistfully, taking a sip of tea. "He told me you have a good scholarship."

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I have an achievement scholarship from the school, plus a couple funds for students with dyslexia."

"That's quite the accomplishment."

Annabeth felt a surge of pride. Her own mother hadn't acknowledged that. "Thank you."

"I wish Percy hadn't lost his scholarship," she said, staring into her mug. "I offered to enrol him in financial aid, but he didn't want the interest hanging over his head in a few years."

"He's pretty stubborn."

"I hear you've got quite the stubborn streak," Mrs. Jackson teased, and Annabeth grinned. "Percy said you go to his Starbucks practically every day."

She blushed. "I mostly just come in for his lunch break, then go back to studying until class starts."

"He loves when you come in," Mrs. Jackson assured, as though she could read her mind. "He's really taken with you. There hasn't been a day that he hasn't mentioned you at least once."

She couldn't help but smile. "He talks a lot about you."

Mrs. Jackson seemed surprised. "Really?"

"It's really nice," Annabeth said softly, tracing circles around her mug. "My parents are divorced. Neither my step-mom nor my biological mother is really around. I like hearing him talk about you."

Annabeth could've sworn she saw Mrs. Jackson's eyes get a little watery before she hugged her. She held on tight, reminiscent of how Percy held Annabeth.

"You can come to us if you ever need anything," she said quietly, letting go of Annabeth and glancing at the time. "Are you finished your tea?"

"I think so."

"Why don't you wake Percy and tell him it's quarter to ten?" she suggested, taking their empty mugs. Annabeth nodded and wandered over to where Percy was sleeping, still moved by Mrs. Jackson's words. Annabeth was so used to being independent by now, and wondered if she could ever go to anyone when she needed help.

She sat down on the edge of the sofa, next to Percy's torso, and nudged his arm. "Hey, Percy. Wake up."

He mumbled tiredly. "Is it time for work yet?"

"No, it's quarter to ten."

"Ten – _what_?" He shot up on the couch, absent-mindedly wiping the drool at the side of his mouth as he blinked sleepily. "Shit, am I late?"

"No, no, it's ten _pm_," Annabeth told him, speaking gently. He slowly seemed to realize it was nightfall. He shook his head, looking around the family room and the end of _Forrest Gump_ playing on the television. Then slammed his palm to his forehead.

"Oh, man," he groaned, looking at her. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry," he told her, looking ashamed of himself. "I guess I'd better walk you home."

Annabeth frowned. "It's only quarter to ten. I can stay longer."

"You don't have to," he assured her, which only made her more confused. "I'll walk you back."

"It's not even that late."

"I know, but –"

"Do you not want me here?" she asked, biting her lip. His eyes immediately widened.

"No, that's not it, it's just –" He broke off, running a hand through his hair. His eyes were travelling downwards, and she realized with a jolt he was staring at her lips. He cleared his throat. "Do you really want to stay?"

He said it as though he couldn't fathom that she wanted to. She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Yeah, I do."

"You don't mind…" He trailed off. She was getting the sense that he was more ashamed of his money situation than she'd originally thought he was.

"I don't care," she said fiercely, holding his gaze.

"You don't?"

"I don't see the problem," she said, in a slightly softer voice, "in you having a nice apartment and a really loving mom. I –" She broke off and bit her lip again, hoping it wasn't too much to admit. "I feel more at home here than I have in a while."

Annabeth wasn't sure who'd leaned in first, or if they'd realized they were leaning in at all, but suddenly their mouths were pressed together. Her eyes shut tightly, a funny ringing echoing in her ears as he slanted his mouth over hers. It was as though she'd become hyper aware everything, how his hands were slowly circling around her waist, or how his chest was gently pushing against hers as he pulled her closer. Her head was spinning. In a good way. It was a bit wet, but for her first kiss, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

"Percy!" Mrs. Jackson's voice rang into the room, and they immediately sprang apart. She was calling him from the kitchen, but Annabeth still felt like she'd been caught in the act. "Percy, it's five minutes to ten."

He groaned and pressed his forehead against Annabeth's. "We have to go."

"Why?" she asked, surprised when she found herself whispering. "Do you have a curfew or something?"

Percy grinned, glancing at her lips before pulling away. He didn't hesitate to grab her hand and bring her up from the couch and towards the door. "Something like that."

"Wait," she said, slipping out of his grasp. She quickly went into the kitchen and surprised Mrs. Jackson with a hug. "Thank you for having me."

"Anytime," she said, squeezing back before letting go. "Percy, make sure you bring her back, will you?"

He smiled. "If she wants to."

Later, when they were outside and walking back to Annabeth's building, she thanked him for inviting her to dinner and meeting his mom. He waved it off, like it was no big deal.

"She's been wanting to meet you, anyway," he said dismissively. "Secretly, I think she's always wanted a daughter."

"I guess she couldn't braid your hair or paint your nails."

"She tried," he said, making a face. Annabeth laughed.

"Well," she said softly, "I've always wanted a mother." He squeezed her hand.

She loved that he knew exactly what she meant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"What about Luke?"

Annabeth tensed. She knew this was coming. She'd just finished telling Thalia what happened at Percy's apartment, and in true Thalia-fashion, she'd been a bit more sceptical than excited.

"I don't know," she confessed honestly, bringing her socked feet up onto their couch. She tucked her knees under her chin and watched Thalia as she painted another sign. "I haven't talked to him in weeks."

"But you've been in love with him for practically your entire life," Thalia pointed out.

"I know."

"Remember when you couldn't look him in the eye for like, two years?"

"Yeah."

"And that time you dressed up to go to his house but he didn't notice you were wearing a skirt?"

"Yeah."

"And last year, when you nearly asked him to prom but –"

"Not re-living that," Annabeth interrupted, groaning. Thalia laughed. "Look, I get it, Thalia. I was obsessed."

"Exactly."

"And he doesn't return those feelings."

Thalia looked up from her sign with an apologetic look on her face. "Oh come on, Annabeth, you don't know that –"

"But I do." She slid down to the couch next to Thalia and sighed. "For years, I've been trying to get him to notice me and it hasn't worked. He's seven years older than me. I don't think he sees me as anything other than his little sister."

"And Percy?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth shrugged, trying not to smile like a maniac. "He's different. I mean, I don't want to compare the two, but –" She cut off, shaking her head. "He's sweet. Really sweet. Even if he didn't like me that way, he'd be sweet. And he's only a year older than me. And even if he's a bit stupid sometimes, he's just… selfless."

"Wow." Thalia smirked, making Annabeth scowl. "I never thought I'd see the day when you decided you didn't have feelings for Luke anymore."

"I still might." She didn't really know if she could have still have feelings for Luke until she saw him, face-to-face. Even then, her heart would probably leap into her throat and she'd say stupid things around him, but maybe that didn't mean she was _in love_ with him.

As strange as it was, it made more sense to Annabeth to be in love with Percy. Everything felt more natural with him; their conversation, their laughter, even just being with him. She didn't have to doubt what he was thinking or worry if she said the wrong thing.

"I really doubt it." Thalia leaned over her sign to perfect the arch on one of the letters. "But I'm really glad things are working out with Percy."

Annabeth's face split into a grin. "Really?"

"Yes." Thalia looked up and smirked again. "And I'm glad you _finally_ got your first kiss. Do you realize how many opportunities you've missed because you were busy pining over Luke? You're gorgeous."

Annabeth blushed and stood, brushing off her clothes distractedly. "Not true."

"Is too!"

"There are more important things than beauty," she said dismissively, grabbing her purse off of the kitchen counter, "like punctuality. I'm going to Starbucks."

"To kiss some more? Good," Thalia said. Annabeth blushed harder and hurried out the door. But not without hearing, "Embrace it, Annabeth! Kissing is _fun!_"

She was never going to live that down.

* * *

Percy didn't regret bringing Annabeth to his apartment. Not even a little.

Sure, maybe he regretted that they didn't really have any dessert ready and the couch had holes in it and they didn't really have many channels to watch. Maybe he regretted that he'd _fallen_ _asleep on her_ (God, that was embarrassing).

Okay, so maybe he regretted a couple of things. But despite that, she'd somehow had the amazing ability to see past all the lack of money and lack of good hosting and enjoyed her time at his home. It made him think maybe there was less to regret, really. Annabeth didn't care about that stuff. She wasn't that shallow.

And neither was that kiss.

He didn't really feel all these weird fireworks he's heard about his entire life, but it definitely wasn't a bad kiss. At all. A little wet and gross, but he could do with some practice; after all, he'd never kissed anyone before. He had to restrain himself every time he saw Annabeth so he wouldn't slobber all over her face or something as equally embarrassing.

Asking Grover for kissing advice was not his proudest moment.

_Restraint is a legitimate problem,_ he thought nervously as he watched Annabeth from the counter. She came into Starbucks all the time, and he had to admit, his work performance had definitely plunged in those few hours she was there.

But as long as he didn't get fired, he didn't really care.

"Hey," he greeted as she came up to him at the register. He dropped his forearms on the counter and leaned over it, trying not to smile like a maniac. "Happy Independence Day."

"Thanks," she said, leaning onto the counter as well. "Are you going to see the fireworks tonight?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"Do you want it to be an invitation?"

"Yes."

"Then it's not." He scowled, and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm just kidding, Percy. Come see the fireworks with me."

"Sure." He knew the only reason the store was open today was because Grace wanted to do Percy a favour. She knew he needed the money, and figured maybe a couple of people would come in. He could ask to close the store early.

"This place is dead today," Annabeth commented, looking around the empty coffee shop. "Is Grace around?"

"She's probably going to come in and kick me out at some point." He absent-mindedly brushed a stray hair behind Annabeth's ear. "Do you want any coffee?"

"I don't have much cash left on me."

"It's free," he urged. "Family and friends of the employee."

"You're making that up," she teased, and he laughed.

"Okay, maybe a little," he said guiltily, "but I can just say it was for me and then I changed my mind."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"So, what do I want?" he asked, gesturing to the menus behind him. He watched as her eyes flickered between the menus. She bit her lip and he nearly groaned. What he _really_ wanted was to kiss her again.

"How about a Frappuccino?" she asked, oblivious of Percy's discomfort. "Which one would you recommend?"

He cleared his throat. "I love the cookie one."

"Do you?" she said, grinning. She was so close he could smell the lemon soap scent coming off of her.

"It has chocolate whipped cream," he told her.

"Sold," she said immediately. He laughed and reluctantly moved away towards the machines, grabbing a clear plastic cup on his way. "How do you make these things?"

"It's not too hard," he said, grabbing the bottle of milk. "You basically just have to add water and cream and stuff then let the machine do the work. Since Starbucks is a huge franchise, they have to make sure all the drinks taste the same everywhere, you know?"

She nodded. "Can you show me?"

"Sure." To Percy's surprise, she glanced around the shop quickly before swinging her legs onto the counter and leaping over it. He gaped at her, and she shrugged.

"I've always wanted to do that," she said matter-of-factly, looking at the coffee machines in interest. "Whoa. How do they work?"

"Well, first you crush the ice."

"How?"

"With the blender."

She looked a little lost. "You put ice in there?"

"Yeah," he said, his lips twitching. It became very obvious in that moment that she wasn't used to making coffee. Or doing anything in the kitchen. Maybe that's why she'd had frozen pizza the night he met her. "Go ahead."

She poured some ice uncertainly into the blender before going to press the buttons. Making a split second decision, Percy put down the cup, wrapped his arms around her and grabbed her hands.

"You're going to want to put the lid on, first," he said, chuckling to lighten the mood. She seemed be very nervous. He put his chin on her shoulder and squeezed. "Relax."

"Sorry," she said, biting back a smile. She put the lid on the blender. Percy helped her crush the ice, becoming aware her breath was getting low and shallow. Or maybe that was his.

He wasn't quite sure he was doing this right, but taking tips from every single chick flick his mother had forced him to watch, he brushed his lips to her ear as he whispered instructions. Percy wondered briefly if she could hear or feel his heart thumping in his chest through her back pressed against his. He carefully ran his mouth to the side of her neck and kissed it gently, lingering there. He could've sworn he heard a whimper.

Before he fully comprehended what was happening, she'd put the cup down on the counter, turned around and crashed her lips to his. He immediately responded, almost naturally, because _god _this felt amazing and he'd wanted to do that since they'd stopped the night before. She'd been nervous the night before, but now she slid her hands in his hair and kissed him without hesitation. He groaned and grabbed her waist to bring her closer.

"Jackson! No making out on the job!"

Percy and Annabeth immediately split apart, gasping for air. He could feel his face burn as he saw his grinning boss walk up to them, clad in red, blue and white clothing.

"Umm," he spluttered, "we were just –"

"I know what you were doing," she said sternly, putting her hands to her hips. He could clearly see she was enjoying this. "No kissing while you're on your shift."

"So why don't you give him Saturday off?" Percy wheeled around to Annabeth. Her face was flushed, but she was smirking. "Make sure you don't let him work for the entire day. You'll never catch him kissing on his shift again."

_Oh, shit,_ he thought, nearly groaning out loud. Percy was pretty sure Grace was going to kill Annabeth. However, to his astonishment (and slight disbelief), she threw her head back and laughed.

"I like her," she declared proudly, clapping a hand to her shoulder. "You get Saturday off, Jackson. And Sunday morning."

His eyes widened. "But I –"

"And I want to hear the details of your date," she added, and Annabeth readily agreed. "Now, get out, you two. Enjoy the rest of Independence Day. I'll close up for you."

Percy was speechless as he left.

"Can you believe that just happened?" he asked as they stepped outside, still stunned. "You just got me a day and a half off."

"I did," Annabeth said proudly.

"You just asked me out."

"That too, I guess."

"Hey, wait a second," he said, rounding on her. She was still grinning broadly, looking very proud of herself. He really liked this side of Annabeth. She was bold and fearless. Maybe he made her nervous, because he didn't see it as often as he hoped, but she was showing it more, day by day.

He frowned at her. "You just asked me out!"

"I thought we established that," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I wanted to ask you out!" he protested, and he winced internally when it came out as a whine.

Annabeth snorted and stepped closer to him. She was a few inches shorter than him, so she rose up on her toes and pecked his lips. "Too late."

"Unfair."

"I beat you fair and square."

"You asked me out _indirectly._"

"You were taking too long."

"I demand a rematch," he grumbled, and she laughed.

"I won't make it easy for you," she promised, kissing him again. They were getting really good at this lip action thing.

He hummed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't doubt that."

"Better to just give in."

"Will do," he mumbled before closing the gap between their lips again.

She was a lot smarter than him, anyway.

* * *

Annabeth hated feeling stupid. If there was one thing she was very sure about herself, it was her brains. She prided herself on not being shallow and how hard she worked for her life. When she felt stupid, she knew she didn't take it too well.

Despite it all, she made her way to Percy's apartment. Without Percy. Because even if she felt like a bit of an idiot, the last time she was there, Mrs. Jackson had told her to come back if she needed anything. And though for her entire life she'd done without, she wanted motherly advice.

She just hoped it wouldn't get awkward. She was not very good at dealing with that.

Annabeth practically ran through Percy's sketchy street to get to his apartment. Once she was there, she breathed a sigh of relief at the smell of old mothballs and cat pee. Even though she'd only been to his apartment once, she felt safe there. And New York City was a scary place, honestly.

Mrs. Jackson was both surprised and pleased to see her. Annabeth immediately felt a bit less stupid when she ushered her inside, no hesitance whatsoever. She asked where Percy was, and Annabeth could only shrug.

"I'm sure he's at work," she replied, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"You didn't go to see him today?"

"No."

"Is everything okay?" she asked, putting down a bowl of grapes in front of Annabeth and sitting down.

"Yeah. I mean…" Annabeth started picking at her fingernails. "Percy and I have our first date tomorrow."

Mrs. Jackson only grinned. "I know."

"You do?"

"He only mentioned it about a thousand times," she said matter-of-factly, and Annabeth blushed. "He's got something nice planned for you two. Spent hours trying to figure it out."

"Really?" she asked in awe, laughing to herself. "Are you supposed to be telling me that?"

Percy's mother shrugged. "Probably not."

"That's good, then," Annabeth said, reaching for a grape. "I'm really nervous, too."

"Are you?"

"This is my first date."

"Oh, don't worry," Mrs. Jackson said, waving a hand in reassurance. "It's Percy's first date, too."

"It is?" Annabeth asked in surprise. Sure, Percy was a little awkward and talked about being really busy, but she didn't think he'd never had a girlfriend before. "Not even in high school?"

"No." She hesitated, drumming her fingers gently on the table. "Percy had to grow up fast. He never really did normal teenage things in high school." Mrs. Jackson looked incredibly guilty, but Annabeth felt like it would be an invasion of privacy to ask why.

"Do you –" She broke, blushing fiercely now. She decided that maybe she didn't want to ask Percy's mother about how many girls he'd kissed. She changed topics. "I'm not really sure how to act on a date."

"Be yourself."

"Is saying that a requirement as an adult or something?"

Mrs. Jackson laughed. "Well, yes. But only because it's true." Annabeth groaned as she laughed again. "Think of it this way. You already know how he feels about you. The hard part is over."

"True."

"So just have fun tomorrow. If you're relaxed, I promise you that Percy will be. He'll just want to enjoy your company."

"Okay." Annabeth smiled at his mom, trying to repress the lump in her throat and the way something in her chest was aching. She never realized how much she was missing. Percy was so lucky to have one loving parent, even if his dad was gone.

"Oh, Annabeth –" Mrs. Jackson didn't miss the tears in her eyes as she instantly moved to hug Annabeth. "Don't be nervous. You're a beautiful, wonderful girl, and he never stops talking about you. He is so lucky to have found you."

She really did start crying at this point. "Thank you."

"Please don't," Percy's mother whispered soothingly, rubbing her hand along Annabeth's back. "Percy will kill me if I make you cry."

"I'm not – well, I _am_ sad, but –" Annabeth took a shuddering breath, horribly aware her tears were staining Mrs. Jackson's blouse. "No one's ever really cared so much. And you and Percy just…"

Mrs. Jackson waited a few moments as she let out a few sobs. Maybe she could tell how long Annabeth had been keeping them in.

"Where's your mom?" she asked as Annabeth leaned back, wiping her eyes. "She's not around?"

"No, no… she's busy," Annabeth said bitterly, plucking a napkin from the Kleenex box on the table. "She runs a huge law firm in San Francisco. She basically dumped me at my father's doorstep. And my dad kind of lost interest in me because he met my now-step-mother, and then they had my twin brothers and I just…"

"I'm sorry." Mrs. Jackson got up to the sink, and came back with a full glass of water. "I wish things were different."

"I had good friends," she said, accepting the glass and taking a few gulps. Annabeth thought of Luke and Thalia, and how distant they'd all been lately. "These two friends. They're five and seven years older than me. They were like my alternate family growing up."

Percy's mother handed Annabeth another Kleenex. "They took good care of you."

"You think so?"

"Better than how my mom is doing." Annabeth and Mrs. Jackson both jumped as Percy walked in, grinning at the sight. "Sheesh, Mom, did you really have to make her cry?"

Annabeth gave a watery chuckle. "It's not her fault."

"Don't lie," he said warningly, dropping his bag on the counter and coming to the table to kiss his mother on the cheek. "My mom can be vicious, you know."

"Right," Mrs. Jackson said sarcastically, ruffling his hair. "What would you two like for dinner?"

Percy looked to Annabeth. "Hey. Guest. You decide."

"Rude," she retorted, laughing.

"We have a few frozen patties left," Mrs. Jackson suggested, getting up to check the freezer. "Are you two up for burgers?"

The three of them made food in record time, since Percy was starving after work. Annabeth found she really loved being with Percy and his mom, even though most people her age would rather be left alone with their boyfriend/girlfriend, she didn't mind. It almost reminded her of how it used to be with Luke and Thalia. Like she belonged.

Annabeth and Percy happily agreed to a slice of (blue) apple pie for dessert. "Do we still have whipped cream?" he asked.

"I think so."

Annabeth watched amusedly as Percy covered every inch of the top of the pie with whipped cream. And then some. He only smirked at her giggling.

"Want some?" he asked, shaking the can again. She nodded, and he made a swirl at the top of her pie.

"Hey, double standard," she teased. "I want more."

"For a guest, you're very demanding," he told her, grinning as he put more whipped cream on her pie.

"No, I was only kidding," she assured him. He shrugged, but didn't stop. "Percy, I said I was kidding!"

"You want _more_? Okay."

"Percy!" she squealed, grabbing at the can. Unfortunately, this was approximately the same time he was still squeezing the top, and whipped cream flew all over his shirt. He looked up at her a look of mock horror.

"You didn't."

"Well, technically I didn't," she said, moving away nervously. "I mean, you were the one with the – ahh!"

She ran as Percy pointed the can of whipped cream at her, finger pointed to the edge, ready to spray her. Percy's apartment wasn't very big, but she leapt out of the kitchen and down the narrow hallway, Percy hot on her heels.

Annabeth ended up going through the first open door she could find, stopping in shock when she realized it must've been Percy's room. Catching her off guard, he grabbed her waist and pushed them both onto the bed.

"Don't spray me," she begged between giggles.

"It's only fair, Annabeth," he said from above, his knees shoved painfully around her.

"Come on," she said breathlessly, struggling to flip around so she could see him. "Have mercy on an accident."

"Fine," he said playfully, loosening his grip. He bent down and kissed her quickly before jumping off the bed. "Stay here, I'm getting our dessert."

"All right." He left the room, and a few moments later, Annabeth could here him reassuring his mother that he hadn't broken anything. She laughed again. The corners of her mouth felt stretched.

Annabeth looked around his room, seeing it was very plain and uncharacteristic. She thought he would've had posters of sea creatures or even supermodels, but his walls were blank. He had a pile of textbooks on his desk and a couple of picture frames of him and his mother on his dresser. She wondered why he hadn't decorated at all.

"Hey," Percy said as he came back in the room, holding the two plates of pies. Annabeth felt a jolt of nerves as he shut the door behind him with his foot and sat down on his bed beside her. "I have your pie with whipped cream."

"And your whipped cream with pie," she joked as he handed her the plate and a fork. "Thanks."

"I enjoy my dessert to the fullest."

"And blocking your arteries to the fullest."

"Shut up and stop ruining dessert," he said, poking her arm with the back of his fork. They finished their pie in a nice, comfortable silence. Annabeth really liked the fact that they had that.

"I have to tell your mom she's a wonderful baker," Annabeth said as she finished her pie. Percy took the plates and set them down on his desk before sitting back beside her again. "It was amazing, even if it was blue."

"It was amazing _because_ it was blue."

She laughed again – he was really good at making her laugh – and poked at the front of his shirt. "I'm sorry for ruining this."

"It'll come out in the wash," he said, unconcerned. To Annabeth's surprise (and disbelief), he pulled his t-shirt over his head and threw it in the corner, where he'd collected a small pile of dirty laundry.

"What?" he asked, noticing the shocked look on her face and smirking. "Are you uncomfortable or something?"

She shut her mouth, because apparently it had dropped open at some point, and pointed her chin up defiantly. "No." He chuckled before getting up to his dresser and rummaging through it for another t-shirt. She almost whined in protest when he pulled it on.

Yep, definitely a swimmer's body.

He lay back down on his bed and stretched. "So what were you guys talking about before I came in?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"Not really."

Annabeth sighed and lay back as well. "I don't know. I was just telling her about my mom, and my step-mom. That whole situation."

"Oh yeah," he said, nodding in understanding. He'd heard all about it by this point. "She made you cry over it?"

"She was just really understanding," Annabeth said quietly, staring determinedly at his ceiling. She didn't want to cry _again._

"So you came over to talk about it?"

"Erm." She blushed. "No. I came to talk about our date tomorrow."

"_What_?" he said immediately, eyes widening. "She didn't say what were doing, right?"

"Nope," she assured, and he relaxed. She could help but laugh at his instant relief. "No, I just… needed to talk to someone."

"About what?"

She grabbed his hand to avoid looking at him. "I'm nervous."

"Oh." He let out a long breath and intertwined their fingers. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too."

"She mentioned that it was your first date, too."

"It's _your_ first date?" he asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"I thought you were joking about that," he muttered, frowning to himself. Annabeth chuckled. "No, really. I thought you just didn't want to tell me because we'd just met."

"No, there just… hasn't been anyone," she said, shrugging. She didn't really feel like talking about Luke.

"Weird," he said. Then he smiled. "I get to be the first."

"First everything," she admitted.

"_Really_?" he said, full out grinning. "You too?"

"You've never had a girlfriend or kissed anyone?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Nah."

"Your mom said you grew up too fast."

"That's probably true," he said, "but I think it has more to do with the fact that I stink at talking to girls."

Annabeth snorted. "You're very optimistic, though," she said, sensing he didn't want to talk about it. "It's incredible. I wish I could do that."

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I like being happy. I find if you try to just focus on the stuff you like thinking about, it's a lot easier. My mom always tries to take the burden so I don't worry about things. I like to think it doesn't work."

Annabeth swallowed hard. "You are so lucky to have her Percy."

"Yeah," he said, equally as quietly now. She glanced at him; his eyes were watery too, but she couldn't understand why. "Yeah, we are."

Another lump rose in her throat, and without thinking about it, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his. He tasted like coffee and whipped cream. It took him a second to respond, equally as softly, lingering. She felt his hand cup her cheek, stroking the raw spot under her eye where her tears were. It was so loving and tender she nearly broke away to cry again.

Instead, he leant back for air before kissing back more firmly, shifting them so they were sitting up. Their legs entangled as they pressed closer, deepening the kiss. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, unhurried, almost lazy. Like he was just fine with the way things were at the moment.

His hand threaded through her hair and she nearly moaned. The other one was slipping down, so slowly like he wasn't really thinking about it, and rested on her waist. His fingers went under her shirt and she felt his warm hand gently stroking the skin at her hip.

Annabeth didn't know how long they were kissing until they heard loud arguing coming from the kitchen. They jumped apart at the sound of breaking glass crashing to the floor, then a loud thump. Percy was on his feet within seconds and sprinting out. She followed quickly behind him, bumping into him when he stopped suddenly at the entrance of the kitchen.

The first thing she noticed was Mrs. Jackson on the floor, unconscious, drops of blood spreading onto the floor beside her head. There was darkly-coloured beer-bottle glass everywhere, dripping in honey-coloured liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol. Standing over her in shock was a large, balding man.

"_What the fuck did you do_?" Percy roared, startling her so badly that she squeaked. He ran to his mother's side and checked her pulse in her wrist, starting to breathe heavily. "Did you throw a beer bottle at her again?"

"No!" the man snapped back. "I told her to get my beer and she passed out!"

"You and your _fucking_ beer –"

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, suddenly finding her voice. She leant beside Percy and grasped at his arm. She could see Mrs. Jackson's chest move up and down with each breath. "She's breathing, we need to get her to the hospital."

"Call the ambulance," he said shakily, digging into his pocket for his phone.

"We can't afford an ambulance!"

"_I _can afford an ambulance!" Percy shouted at him. Annabeth realized that this must've been his step-father. With shaking fingers, she dialled the numbers and held the phone to her ear. Percy was still glaring angrily at his step-father. "You won't have to waste your _precious_ alcohol money on an ambulance, you –"

"Hi," Annabeth interrupted, hearing the operator on the other side. "My friend's mother just passed out, and it looks like she hit her head hard –"

"Can I?" Percy asked, asking for the phone. Annabeth handed it over without a second thought. "Hi, my mom passed out, and this is about the third time but she'd always detected it before and sat down, but it looks like it caught her by surprise…"

Annabeth was speechless as he recited his address. This had happened _before_? He hung up quickly after and looked to her helplessly. Through his anger, she could see how frightened he was. "Can you give me that towel on the counter?"

She did so, and he pressed it underneath Mrs. Jackson's head, as a sort of makeshift bandage. He turned to his step-father. "Gabe, I need you to let the paramedics in downstairs."

"I –"

"Just go," he snapped, and Gabe grumbled unhappily as he stomped out of the apartment. Percy reached for the broom in the corner of the kitchen and swept the glass into the garbage before mopping up the beer. Annabeth didn't dare to ask why. She only kneeled next to him and his mom and held his trembling hand.

They heard sirens a minute later. Percy let out a breath he was holding, not looking at her. "Annabeth."

"Yeah?"

"I think you should leave."

She stared at him incredulously. "You're kidding me, right?"

"It's not that I don't want you here, but –"

"You need me here," she said firmly. She didn't know if it was true or not, but she strongly suspected it was. And she was not going to let him push her away. "I'm not leaving."

"But –"

"Deal with it, Percy."

He let out a strangled laugh and squeezed her hand hard, looking back at his mom. The paramedics came in a few seconds later, and Percy and Annabeth moved back so they could lay her on the stretcher, moving quickly to connect her to monitors.

When the paramedics were leaving, Annabeth felt as if her hand was about to fall off, Percy was squeezing it so tight. When he looked at her and asked her if she was going to come to the hospital, she nearly laughed.

"Stop asking stupid questions," she told him, pulling him out of his apartment and shutting the door. "You couldn't let go of my hand if you wanted to."

He took a deep breath. "Right."

"Everything's going to be okay, Percy," she whispered as they followed the paramedics. He couldn't take his eyes off his mom. "It will be, you'll see."

But if she was being completely honest, she had no idea.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Nothing and absolutely everything was making sense.

Percy didn't say a word to Annabeth as they rode in the ambulance. She suspected he was afraid to speak or everything would come out in tears. She knew what that was like.

But things were making a little bit more sense. Percy never talked about Gabe, but it was quite obvious now that he was abusive. She realized this was probably why Percy had insisted her to leave at ten o'clock the other night – probably right before Gabe came home. Who seemed to be a bit of an alcoholic.

Then again, nothing about Percy's mom was making sense. Yes, she was thin and frail, but she wore a lot of baggy clothing and Annabeth didn't realize how bad it was. That something was seriously wrong.

The paramedic had started speaking to them, but Percy seemed to have gone deaf. Annabeth nudged him, but he wouldn't respond. The man decided to direct his questions to her, instead.

"You weren't there at the time of the fall?" he asked, typing on his tiny laptop.

"No," she told him. "We heard a crash in the kitchen, and we just found her like this."

"Do you know of any medications she takes?"

Annabeth nudged Percy again, who closed his eyes tightly. "No, she doesn't take anything."

"Is there a cause for her malnourishment?" he asked, typing a few more words. "Do you know of her eating habits, if she's –"

"She has cervical cancer."

Annabeth felt that like a punch to the gut. The paramedic quietened and began typing furiously on his laptop, and Percy put his hands over his face. She felt breathless, like all the air had been sucked out of her. Percy's mom couldn't have _cancer._ She couldn't.

"For how long?" the paramedic asked. His voice rang in her ears, like they'd been submerged underwater.

"About a year."

"Has she had any treatment?"

"We haven't been able to afford it," Percy said, his voice breaking on the last word. Annabeth suddenly understood why he worked so hard. Not for his tuition, like he'd told his mother and everyone else, but for cancer treatment. Percy's hand suddenly found hers. "Can they operate now?"

"Well –"

"I'll get the money," he said quickly. "I have about half. And I'll get a loan for the other half –"

"It might be too late," the paramedic said apologetically. "The cancer may have spread to other organs in the past year. Has she had a check-up lately?"

Percy swallowed. "A few months ago."

"Then we'll check up on the records," he said, going back to typing. Percy squeezed Annabeth's hand harder and pressed his lips tightly together. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, and she couldn't breathe.

Mrs. Jackson seemed _okay._ Sure, she was thin and she limped a little when she walked, but she'd never seemed weak to Annabeth. But maybe she hadn't been perceptive enough, or maybe she hadn't been around enough. She'd only met Percy's mother twice.

Percy was shaking, almost violently now. Annabeth put her arms around him, though it didn't seem to help. He was sniffing quietly as they reached the hospital. Mrs. Jackson was ushered into emergency care while Percy and Annabeth were forced to wait in the waiting room.

The waiting room was quite busy at eight o'clock at night. Annabeth dragged Percy to a corner where not too many people were sitting and curled up next to him on the chairs. He was still trembling and trying not to cry.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, and he shuddered. "What aren't you telling me?"

He sniffed again. "My mom's dying."

She could feel her heart breaking. "I really love your mom."

"I love her, too."

"What else?" she asked, still moving her fingers through his hair. Trying to calm him. "Gabe?"

"What about him?"

"He hits you?" she whispered in his ear. Percy shrugged.

"Sometimes," he admitted. "I can mostly avoid him, though. He hurts my mom more and sometimes I'm not there to stop him."

"He threw a beer bottle at her?"

His fists clenched. "Yes."

"What did you do?"

"I nearly called the police."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't want to be away from my mom," he explained in a whisper. "Before I was eighteen, I mean. They would've sent me to foster care."

She kissed his shoulder. "I understand."

"He was nice in the beginning," Percy said, leaning into her touch. "Always bought us stupid gifts and stuff. Then a year into their marriage, he started drinking a lot and it all went downhill from there."

"He wouldn't pay for your mom's treatment at all?"

"Nope," he said bitterly, closing his eyes. "I started working at Starbucks when I was sixteen to start helping to pay for grocery bills and stuff. It was a miracle I got the job, honestly. Grace just took one look at me and told me if I told her why I needed the money, she would hire me."

"You told her he's abusive?"

"I told her that I needed the money for food," he corrected. "She knew there was more, but she said it was okay I didn't tell her. Then last year in May, my mom was diagnosed."

"Does he take your money?" she asked. "Is that why you don't have enough?"

"He used to. When she was diagnosed, I was eighteen, so I opened a bank account. He can't steal my pay checks anymore."

"And treatment must be over twenty thousand dollars," Annabeth said glumly.

"Thirty thousand."

"God." She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't have nearly enough to help."

"I'm not accepting anything from you, Annabeth," he said quietly, kissing her forehead. "You just being here… I can't believe you're still here."

"I'm not the kind of person who runs away at the slightest problem."

"I'd say." Percy cracked a small, sad smile. "Now I wish I'd just dropped out of school and started working full-time the moment I knew my mom had cancer. But she insisted I keep going, but then I kept taking more shifts because I wasn't making enough and missed too many swim practices."

"I'm sure you can get your scholarship back."

"I don't care about that," he said, sniffing again. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "I don't really care about graduating or getting my degree. Not right now. There are more important things."

"You can always go back."

"I can go back whenever I want," he agreed. His gaze properly met hers for the first time since they got there. "God, I wish things were normal."

"Normal?"

"Nothing's ever normal. My dad died when I was little, my mom's worked two or three jobs ever since, my step-father is an alcoholic douchebag who pays the rent, the majority of my high school years were spent working in a coffee shop to pay for food and clothes…" He moved to brush away a hair from Annabeth's face. "You were the first and only part of my life that was ever normal."

She smiled sadly. "You want to break up."

"We _need_ to break up," he corrected. "I can't drag you into this."

"Like it or not, I'm already fully invested." She pressed her forehead against his. "I care too much. I can't leave anymore."

"I was afraid of that." He kissed her softly. "And I really don't want you to."

* * *

"Percy? Percy, wake up, they're calling you."

Percy inhaled sharply, blinking to focus his vision. He realized he'd dozed off on Annabeth's shoulder. _Shit_. He really needed to stop falling asleep on her. He rubbed his eyes wearily. "They called me?"

"Yes, I just said that," she told him, exasperated. He felt groggy as she dragged him to the nurse that had called his name. He didn't realize how exhausted he was, and that nap, while on the whole uncomfortable, was like he was dead to the world.

A jolt went through him as he realized what was going on.

His mom could be dead. At any time.

Suddenly feeling a lot more awake, he followed the nurse, gripping Annabeth's hand more tightly. He didn't want to drag her into the disaster zone that was his life, but she was his lifeline at the moment. She only squeezed back tighter and smiled reassuringly.

The nurse stopped in one of the rooms, where another doctor was standing. Percy instantly felt more nervous. He hated this part, every time he had to go to the ER: the verdict. Ever since it had first been cervical cancer, this time had haunted him.

"Percy Jackson?" The middle-aged man nodded towards him, glancing inside the room. "Your mother has refused cancer treatment again."

Percy was unable to look the doctor in the eyes. "Can't afford it."

"Insurance?"

"Can't afford that either," he choked out, trying to see past the man and look into the room. "Is she all right?"

"Mr. Jackson, your mother's tumor has spread," he said apologetically. "She's been very lucky to last this long without treatment."

"We did what you said," he said hurriedly. "She quit her jobs and she rests and she takes vitamins and stuff."

"But without treatment -"

"Is it too late?" Percy asked desperately. He fully regretted not taking any loans out now, even if it was his mom who insisted not to. "Can you operate to remove the cancer?"

The doctor's grim look told him everything.

"The cancer has spread to her major organs," he said wearily, shaking his head. "There's nothing we can do now. I'm afraid she may only have days left."

"_Days_?" Annabeth choked out.

"Yes," he confirmed, nodding. "There are treatments we can give to lessen the pain, but her body is shutting down. Over-exertion will only make her faint again." Percy realized in horror that his mother must have been in so much pain just from making dinner with him, but still had insisted on doing it.

How long had she insisted to move when she shouldn't have been?

"Can we see her?" he asked quietly, willing himself not to cry. The doctor moved aside and Percy stumbled into the room.

He'd expected it to smell like death. It smelled more of the sterilized hospital smell, or hand sanitizer. He didn't really know what death was supposed to smell like, but he'd been expecting it, because his mother was _dying_.

Annabeth let go of his hand as he wrapped his mother in his arms. She was hooked up to the IV and had a monitor clamped around the index finger of the opposite arm. The cancer must not have spread to her lungs, since she seemed to be breathing fine. Unlike Percy.

He shuddered against her shoulder, trying not to sob his eyes out. He needed to be brave. He needed to be strong so his mom would be happy before she died. But she was doing that Mom thing by kissing his forehead and holding him and he too close to breaking down entirely.

He heard Annabeth's footsteps leave the room and the sound of her closing the door, giving he and his mom some privacy. It was too quiet all of a sudden, despite the busy murmurs of the hospital and the beeping monitor.

"Percy?" He looked up. His mom was crying. "I'm sorry."

"You haven't done anything," he said shakily, sitting up. "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry I'm leaving," she said quietly. Percy felt his insides crumbling again, and she took his hand.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

She kissed the back of his hand. "Don't be bitter, Percy. Don't let yourself give up."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Mom..."

"You have so much potential," she continued, looking at him fondly, lovingly. "You're going to find a job you love to do, fall in love if you haven't already" - Percy turned crimson at this - "and get married and have kids."

"Don't talk like that," he whispered, wishing he wasn't failing so badly at being strong for her. He wiped his eyes again. "Don't talk like you're not going to see it."

"Percy..."

He looked back at his mom. As much as he hated it, it seemed as though she'd accepted that she was dying. Maybe she'd accepted it a long time ago, while he was furiously working to make thirty thousand dollars at his crap minimum wage job.

"I tried to make the money," he said dejectedly. "It wasn't for school. I tried to make enough for your treatment."

His mother was tearing up now. "Percy, you didn't."

"That was the problem." He looked down at his hands. "I didn't. I couldn't make enough."

"You shouldn't have had to try," she said, fully crying now. "It's not your place to stress to make money. It's my place. It's Gabe's place."

"He didn't do shit," Percy spat. "He just sat there in his stupid recliner and ordered you around and hit you even though he knows you have _cancer_ and he's probably the one who fucking _gave_ it to you -"

"Percy," she said, her voice soft but stern. He hardly ever swore in front of his mother, since he knew she hated it so much. "Stop."

"How can you just forgive him?" he said angrily, swiping at his eyes again. "He made our lives a living hell."

"I haven't," she said soothingly, reaching up to catch a few tears with her thumb. "I can't ever forgive what he did to us. And I want you to leave his apartment. I don't want you to put up with him any longer than you have to."

He gave a hollow laugh. "If I don't kill him first."

"Percy..." she said warningly.

"I know," he assured her, wiping his face again. "I know. It's just... God, I hate him. He put us through all this. It was better before him, even if we didn't really have a place to live."

"Percy, you were five," she reminded him. "You can't remember the life we had before. It was much worse. If it wasn't for Gabe, you would have been taken away from me."

"But -"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, starting to cry as well. "You deserve so much better than what you have."

"I have everything I need." He wrapped his arms around his mother again, wishing her body wasn't so frail. He'd felt her diminishing for the past year, like his mom was withering away to nothing. He knew how strong his mother was, but in his arms, she felt so small that he thought she was going to break if he squeezed too tight.

"I love you, Percy," she whispered against his shoulder. "Don't forget that." Percy buried his nose in her neck like when he was a little kid. It was comforting and frightening at the same time. He couldn't help but wonder how many more opportunities he had to hear those words from her.

"I love you too, Mom."

* * *

Annabeth had decided to wait outside Mrs. Jackson's room. After texting Thalia of where she was, she'd begun to pace, unable to keep still. Even if she'd only known Percy for a little over a month and only met his mother twice, something inside of her felt as though it was tearing apart. Whether if she was devastated for Percy or if her reasons for being upset were entirely selfish, she _really_ didn't want Mrs. Jackson to die.

Percy's mom reminded her of the phrase, _"The good die young."_ Even through her sickness, she was exactly what Annabeth wished she could be: strong, independent, optimistic. _Caring._ Annabeth had never been very good at that. She admired Mrs. Jackson for her spirit, especially being so close to death.

And Percy.

Annabeth couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd handled himself throughout the past year. Seeing his mother slowly getting sicker, seeing her pass out more than one, realizing she was diagnosed with cancer and then being absolutely helpless to fight it. She was willing to bet that between school and work, he hadn't spent as much time with his mom as he wanted, even if he'd obviously tried. He was probably regretting that now.

Not to mention that Annabeth was sure he'd gone through this alone. He hadn't told his boss. He probably hadn't told Grover, so she was sure she hadn't told any of his friends. Gabe knew, but it was obvious he didn't really give a shit. Percy had kept this entire ordeal on his shoulders.

Annabeth was starting to wonder how much she really knew about Percy before this ordeal. He was by no means an open book, whether by choice or if he had decided not to burden anyone else. She realized she hadn't exactly told Percy all that much about herself, either, but it wasn't a question of trust. She wondered if they'd really get a chance to know each other. She hoped she would.

Her phone buzzed in her hand with Thalia's confirmation that she got Annabeth's message. She was just about to type a reply when another notification popped up.

_Skype: Luke: Hey_

She narrowed her eyes. She hadn't talked to Luke in weeks – the day she met Percy. It was now normal for Annabeth and Luke to go a month without speaking, but he _never_ started up conversation first. Pushing her suspicions aside, she decided to reply.

_Annabeth: Hi Luke, how are you?_

_Luke: I'm doing great, actually. How are my girls?_

Annabeth paused. She'd never kept any secrets from Luke. Was Percy a secret? Not really. But she wasn't sure how to explain what he was to her, or what was going on at the moment. She bit her lip.

_Annabeth: Thalia's fine. Protesting as usual._

_Luke: And yourself?_

_Annabeth: I'm all right._

_Luke: Good, good._

To her surprise, Luke began writing a longer message. Normally their conversations went the same way – hi, how are you, are you visiting, okay, bye. Annabeth's eyebrows shot up as she received his next message.

_Luke: I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to NYC next weekend for a business trip and want to see you guys._

Her heart was suddenly racing. Why was it doing that? Traitor.

_Annabeth: Really? Here?_

_Luke: Haha yes. I'm only there for a day, but I really want to see you._

_Annabeth: Of course_

_Annabeth: Do you need a place to stay?_

_Luke: Nah, I'm covered from the company for a nice hotel. _

_Annabeth: Okay. Let us know when you're here._

_Luke: I'll text you. _

"Shit," Annabeth muttered, beginning to pace again. The nurses were probably staring at her, but she didn't care. As much as Annabeth had loved Luke to the point of obsession and clearly still had leftover feelings for him, she really didn't want him to visit. Not with this brand-new thing with Percy and now the situation with his mom. She didn't want to get thrown into a loop again.

She leaned against the closed door to Mrs. Jackson's room and sighed. She really wanted to see them, now, and forget about Luke entirely. It had been twenty minutes. That was probably enough time, wasn't it?

Probably not.

_Annabeth: I've gotta go._

_Luke: Okay. See you soon._

_Annabeth: Bye!_

Annabeth turned off Skype on her phone and took a deep breath. She would _not_ go back to obsessing over Luke. No matter how good he looked in a suit and tie. No. Determined not to think about it, she pushed open the door to Mrs. Jackson's room and went inside.

It was very quiet in the room. She shut the door behind her and sat down on the chair next to Mrs. Jackson's bed. Percy hadn't moved; he was perched on the edge of the bed, his long legs hanging off as he held his mother. He wasn't shaking anymore, but it was pretty obvious he was still torn up inside. Just watching the two made tears rush to Annabeth's eyes.

"Hi, Annabeth," Mrs. Jackson said quietly. She was running her fingers through Percy's hair. "How are you doing?"

"_I'm_ okay," she said, scoffing to herself. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, fine."

Percy snorted and unravelled his arms around his mom to sit up and wipe his eyes. "Yeah. _Fine._ Of course you are."

"I am," she insisted, though Annabeth could hear the exhaustion in her voice. Percy's mother nudged him. "Ask her now."

"All right, all right." Percy turned to Annabeth, not quite looking her in the eye. "Is it okay if we postpone our date?"

She blinked. In all honesty, she'd completely forgotten about it. "Of course."

"But we want you to come with us tomorrow," Mrs. Jackson told her. "We're going to try to convince the hospital that we can leave for a little while and spend the day together, and I think you should come."

"But…" Annabeth shook her head. "That should be a mother-son thing, right?"

"We're going to need the help," Percy said. Though he was trying to be polite and hide it, Annabeth could tell she wasn't _really_ wanted on this day. He insisted, anyway. "She's going to need a wheelchair, and I don't think I can –"

"I'll do it," Annabeth said instantly. There was a deep ache in her chest as she looked at Mrs. Jackson. She looked so tired and frail and broken, and more than ever, Annabeth wished it would've been anyone but her. She looked back to Percy. "Where are you guys going?"

Mrs. Jackson reached up to mess up Percy's hair and smile fondly at him. "The beach."

He smiled sadly, and Annabeth could truly see how the news had really affected him. When Percy said they were going to need the help, he meant it. While Mrs. Jackson didn't need an oxygen tank, New York City wasn't exactly wheelchair friendly. Not to mention there was no way for her to push it herself, and carrying it up and down stairs was no easy feat. Mrs. Jackson was also on constant pain medication – something she hadn't been taking before.

Annabeth couldn't help wondering how she'd done it. If walking was a chore, it must have taken so much to get up, cook, laugh and act normally with Percy. She had a suspicion Mrs. Jackson hid it very well for no other reason than to keep Percy from worrying. To keep him happy, even if her health was the cost.

Unfortunately, everything had really taken a toll on Percy. Annabeth was used to his infallible smile and optimistic attitude, and she could barely recognize him without it. In the short moments Percy's mother wasn't watching him, Annabeth could see the corners of his mouth turn downward, and he'd blink rapidly, trying to keep in his tears. His body would slacken as though someone had turned out the light.

After deciding on their beach outing, Mrs. Jackson all but demanded Percy to move out of Gabe's apartment. Apparently Grover's roommate had left a few months before, and he still hadn't found someone to help cover the rent. Since Percy's mother was to stay in the hospital, he should have been more than willing to move out.

It had taken prodding and persuading, and still Percy hadn't budged. He only agreed when Mrs. Jackson began to get tired, and his eyes went all round and wide and watery before he agreed. It was well past midnight when he called Grover, who didn't seem to mind the odd time at all.

Percy kissed his mother goodnight and promised to come back in the morning, as soon as he could, and give her a day at the beach. He held Annabeth's hand on the taxi ride to Percy's apartment and all the way to his room. On the way, she saw Gabe passed out on his recliner, beer in hand and the television still running.

Annabeth nearly ripped her hand out of Percy's grasp to go strangle the man. She was suddenly so angry that her vision blurred before her. _How could he treat Percy and his mom like that? _she thought, beginning to tremble. It was impossible for her to fathom hurting people so badly, being aware of it and not giving a shit anyway. She didn't know how Percy wasn't bitter and angry and sullen all the time, but she admired him for it.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. He'd stopped tugging her towards his room when he was met with resistance. "Are you okay?"

Annabeth jerked her head towards the living room. "Just him."

"Gabe?"

"Yeah." She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a little cold all of a sudden. "I hate him. More than I've ever hated anyone in my life."

"Me too."

There was a pause.

"C'mon," Annabeth said, pushing her anger away. She could still feel it boiling under her skin, but she couldn't let that bother her right now. "We need to get your stuff out of here. Grover will be here soon."

"Right," he said. "You go ahead and stack up some of the things in my room. I'm just…" He hesitated, glancing at the door beside his room. "I'm going to get some of my mom's stuff out."

"Your mom's stuff?"

"Photo albums, and… just things like that," he said quietly. "I'll be there in a minute."

True to his word, he was back in a minute with a box full of his mother's things. A few minutes later, Grover had come up to help bring things to a car he'd borrowed from his neighbour. Percy didn't have many things, and the process was fairly quick.

It was around two in the morning when Percy was unpacked and settled, but Annabeth could tell he was wide awake. Whether it was the half hour nap he had in the waiting room or his anxiousness, he didn't look the least bit tired. Just tense.

"Are you going to tell Grover?" Annabeth asked, sitting on his bed and watching as Percy paced in his new room. "He doesn't know about your mom, does he?"

"I'm sure he suspects," Percy answered, not looking at her. "I've been overprotective of my mom. He calls me a Mama's Boy sometimes." He stopped pacing for a second and looked at his door, in the direction of Grover's room across the hall. "He knows something's up. He's just too nice to ask until I'm ready to say anything."

"You should get some rest," Annabeth said soothingly. Percy sat down beside her and rubbed his eyes wearily. She bit her lip. "I know it's tough, but you look exhausted from working all day, and now this. You're running on adrenaline."

"I know."

"And we've got our work cut out for ourselves tomorrow."

"I know."

"You should probably call your boss tomorrow, too, and –"

"I _know_," he snapped, holding his head in his hands. He looked frustrated, exhausted and helpless all at once. "Stop _coddling_ me, I'm not a fucking child, I…"

Annabeth's suppressed anger flared immediately.

"Fine," she said in a clipped tone, "I won't. Do me a favour, call me tomorrow when you've dropped the attitude against people who are trying to help you."

He groaned into his hands. "Annabeth."

"Won't bother next time," she muttered, heading for the door.

"_Annabeth._" She'd just opened the door when she felt his hand on hers, spinning her back. Percy's face had crumped in regret and sadness, and she instantly felt guilty for lashing back at him. She felt his hand squeeze hers. "I'm sorry."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, I shouldn't have –"

"It's not you," he said. His voice was limp and broken. "I just can't think straight right now. I should be calling you a taxi and making sure you get back all right."

"It's late," she assured. "Really late. And you're tired. Don't worry about it, Percy."

His green eyes were red at the corners, and he closed them. In that moment, he looked very much like a worn-out old man and a tired little boy. "Can you stay?"

"Stay… stay the night?" Annabeth's face grew warm. She knew they were in college and sex was becoming casual talk, but she couldn't help it. Even if she knew it was just to sleep over. "Are you sure?"

He opened his eyes and nodded. "Like you said. It's late."

It was clear that there was an entirely different reason behind this. Even if Percy didn't want to admit it, Annabeth could understand. And even with Grover in the other room, she might've liked that he needed _her._ Just to not feel so alone.

"Yeah," she told him. Was there really any doubt? "Of course I'll stay."

* * *

Percy woke up suddenly the next morning, with no recollection of any nightmare or being shaken awake. His eyes opened wearily to sunlight streaming through his window. His head was heavy and throbbing, his body aching from exhaustion. Beside him, Annabeth was curled up on her side next to him, her curly blonde hair spread out across her pillow. He really liked her hair. He really liked _her._

He knew he was bound to screw it up at some point, but he'd lasted this long, hadn't he? And she'd forgiven his momentary lashing from the night before. Annabeth wasn't the kind of person who let her emotions blind her. He really liked that about her.

For a moment, he just thought about Annabeth, sleeping in his bed, in his pyjamas she'd borrowed last night, snoring lightly into his pillow. Just her and his brightly lit room, and he could pretend nothing was wrong.

But practically everything was in the dumps, and Percy wanted to hide in his bed with Annabeth until he didn't have to feel anymore. Until his mom wasn't dying and his dad wasn't dead and Gabe never existed and he didn't have to live on coffee and he wasn't so goddamn _tired_ all the time.

Percy closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. He wasn't going to the beach until the afternoon, and he needed the rest. It couldn't have been five minutes later when he was awake again, woken by the sound of a ring tone. Annabeth groaned beside him. The bed creaked as she turned, hanging off the bed to grab her phone.

"Hello?" she muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine, I stayed with Percy last night. _Thalia – _of course I'm still a – shut up. I'll be back soon. Yeah. Bye." With another groan, Annabeth dropped her phone back onto the floor and rolled back on the bed. She made a point to have her back towards him, but he could see her blushing.

Percy poked her. "Still a what?"

"Nothing."

"No, really. Still a what?"

"Percy."

"A student? A reader? A cookie?"

"Shut up."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling Annabeth to his chest before burying his face in her hair. "Come on. Out with it."

"_Percy_," she whined.

"Still a…"

"Virgin." The word came out muffled and rushed, like it was taboo or something to be embarrassed about. She curled into herself, drawing her hair close to her face as if to avoid looking at him. "Still a virgin."

"I guessed as much," he said teasingly, and she groaned again.

"I hate you."

"Even if I was offering to change that?" he whispered. His lips were brushing her ear at this point, but he didn't care. It seemed to have an affect on Annabeth.

"_Especially._" She shuddered when he kissed the spot under her earlobe. "Asshole."

He grinned against her skin and leaned over to kiss the top of her jaw, slow and lingering until her skin flushed darker. She turned her head, eyes falling closed as she pressed her lips against his. It was so easy to lose himself in her.

He broke away, still hovering over her. "On second thought, I take back my offer."

"Yeah?"

"I have no blackmail material otherwise."

She laughed. "That's nothing. You don't have anything over me, you don't know any of my secrets." Percy tried not to let his smile falter. This was very true. She didn't open up to him often.

Instead of voicing this, he kissed her again. "So I guess the offer is back on."

"Get off," she said, shoving him sideways onto his bed, still laughing as she sat up. "By the way, you're never getting your shirt back."

"Jeez," he mock-complained, "first you ruin one of my shirts, then you steal another?"

She shrugged. "You're the one who couldn't stop drooling when I put it on."

"Did not."

"Did too," she teased. Suddenly, she was leaning over, fisting his shirt in her hands and kissing him hard, melting every thought in his brain. She pulled back too soon. "I have to go. Thalia's worried."

"Okay." He kissed her again. "Thanks for staying."

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Demanding?"

"Inviting." She pecked his lips once more before gathering her things. He dutifully turned around and tried not to peek as she changed out of his pyjamas and pulled on her jeans from last night. When he was sure she was done, he found her stuffing her phone in her purse and sighing to herself. He gave her a pointed look, and she shrugged. "I have to do the walk of shame, now."

He burst into laughter.

"I'll see you soon," she said, walking back to the bed where he was sitting and kissing him again. Percy suspected she was either feeling sympathetic or extra hormonal. Personally, he was hoping her the latter. She pulled away. "At the hospital."

"See you," he said, trying not to let the gloom crash over him, but it was inevitable. As soon as she was out the front door, everything was less bright, less hopeful and a whole lot worse. Annabeth couldn't distract him forever. He knew it was selfish to keep her close, when he knew his sadness would eventually drive her away.

He really hoped he was wrong about that.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm sorry. You guys have been waiting for so long for this chapter. I've worked hard on this, and I really hope you like it.

**Chapter Five**

As Percy expected, Grover came out of his room as soon as the smell of pancakes had started to waft away and into his room. He sleepily stumbled into the kitchen, leaned over the counter and hummed in appreciation. "Smells good, man."

"Knew it'd get you out of your coma," Percy joked, flipping the pancake.

"Shut up."

"Besides, I think I owe you."

"What, for helping you move in at two in the morning?" Grover waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. I'm always up at that time."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "I don't need much sleep to function. Six hours is plenty for me."

"Right." Percy flipped the pancake once more, letting it brown over. He wanted to tell Grover what had happened last night, even if Grover would never push Percy into telling him. Still, he owed it to him. He was one of the only friends he had, save for a few guys on the swim team he hadn't seen in a while.

He turned off the stove and put the last pancake in the pile as Grover grabbed the plates and syrup. Percy was infinitely thankful for Grover's jabbering on about whatever it was he was talking about, letting him think about how exactly he was going to tell his best friend that he'd been keeping something from him. For no good reason, really.

Grover's voice broke through his thoughts. "… and I noticed Annabeth never went home."

"Umm." Percy immediately turned red and stuffed a bite of pancake in his mouth. "Yeah."

"I think we should probably figure out the sock-on-the-door-handle policy," Grover said, grinning suggestively. "Why didn't you tell me you were going out with Thalia's roommate?"

"I don't know," he answered, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. I need to tell you something."

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

Percy shot a snickering Grover a dark look. "_No._"

Grover shoved a large bit of pancake in his mouth, and Percy took it as his cue to speak. "There's something I haven't really been telling you about. Like why I took so many shifts at Starbucks."

He stopped chewing. "And why you quit the swim team?"

"Yeah."

"It has to do with _Annabeth_?"

"What? No," Percy said quickly, shaking his head. "Of course not. I just met her about a month ago."

"And she's already in your bed."

Percy rolled his eyes. "This is about my mom. And Gabe. And why I moved here at two in the morning."

Grover nodded. "I was wondering about that."

"Yeah." Percy took a bite of his pancake. It suddenly felt like a tasteless, soggy mess in his mouth as he thought about his mom. He swallowed thickly. "Shehascancer."

"What?"

He cleared his throat, not looking at Grover anymore. "My mom. She has cancer. And Gabe wouldn't pay for treatment."

Percy couldn't tell for sure, but Grover had fallen very quiet, and he knew that he must've been figuring it out. Why Percy and his mother shared a cell phone. Why he'd told Grover that his mom might call Grover's phone in case of an emergency when they were hanging out. Why Percy was so overprotective of his mother in general. And of course, why Percy had chosen Starbucks shifts over swim practice. In the end, Grover could only say one word.

"Oh," he said quietly.

"Oh," Percy agreed.

Silence fell over them again.

"What are you going to do?" he asked after a few moments. "How long does she have?"

Percy felt like he couldn't swallow anymore, and he pushed away his plate. "A few days."

"_Days_?"

"Yeah." Percy took a deep breath. "She didn't have any treatment. I don't know how she lasted this long."

Grover pushed away his plate, looking determinedly at the table. "Percy."

"Yeah?"

"You'd tell me if something was going on, right?" he asked, and Percy stiffened. "I mean, not right away, but… eventually, right?"

Percy couldn't bring himself to speak.

Grover sighed, gently scraping his fork along the edge of his plate. "Look, no one moves into their apartment at two in the morning for no reason. I'm not stupid. And you just said your mom's had cancer for a while."

"Grover, I'm really sorry –"

"It's not about me," he cut across, shaking his head impatiently. "It's just that no one can go through that on their own. No one _should._" Percy couldn't even meet Grover's eyes at this point. "Come on, why didn't you say anything?"

He sighed heavily. "I don't really know. I haven't really been thinking straight for the past year. I've just been working like crazy to try to get the money, and now it's too late for any kind of treatment."

"I'm sorry."

Percy nodded before burying his face in hands. "I don't want my mom to die in the hospital. But I don't want to take her home. I don't want her last memories to be of Gabe."

"Did he…" Grover hesitated, and Percy knew what he was going to say. "Did he hit your mom?"

"Yeah." He tried not to let his voice waver. He'd decided last night he was done with Gabe. He couldn't affect him anymore. "He hit both of his."

"Perce…"

"Look, I gotta get ready," Percy said, picking up his dishes and standing. "My mom wants to go to the beach. This might be her last chance at an outing."

"Sure," he said, dropping the subject. "Need any help?"

"No, unless –" Percy hesitated for a moment, gripping his dishes tightly. Grover raised an eyebrow at him.

"Unless…?"

He struggled for words. "Do you still drive?"

* * *

Annabeth had opened the door of her apartment to leave when she found Percy, hand in the air, mid-knock. She immediately frowned, surprised; their plan was to meet at the hospital and take a taxi to the beach, so what was he doing there? Percy stepped back hastily. "Hi."

"Hey," she said cautiously, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"Change of plans," he said, stepping inside when Annabeth leant back let him through. She closed the door just as he said, "Grover and I rented a car. We're going to drive my mom to Montauk."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "_What?_"

"Montauk," he explained quickly, as if he were in a rush. "It's this place on Long Island. My mom and I used to go there. It's where she met my dad, and –"

"Okay, okay, slow down," she cut in. His breath hitched when she ran her hand down his arm and grabbed his hand. She spoke more slowly, trying to calm him down. "There's a beach there, I'm guessing?"

He nodded, taking a deep breath before answering. "Yeah. We're going to rent a cabin."

"How long are you staying?" He hesitated, his gaze straying to the floor. Annabeth thought his eyes were a little watery, but when he spoke, his voice was firm.

"I just don't want her to die in a hospital," he said quietly.

Those words seemed to wrap around Annabeth's heart and clench tightly. "Percy…"

"She deserves way better than that," he said, swallowing before looking back up to Annabeth. "You know? She put up with Gabe for me and suffered through cancer for more than a year and –"

"I get it," Annabeth said. Her throat felt tight, and she reached for his other hand. "But what about when she… you know. How are you going to handle that?"

Percy pulled her closer so he could press his forehead against hers. "I don't know."

"Will you call me? Do you get reception there?"

"Yeah." She felt his nose brushing the tip of hers. "I'm sorry. Grover's just dropping us off. It's just going to be me and my mom." He nudged her gently, nuzzling her slightly. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," she said, nearly choking up. "Can I see her? And say goodbye?"

"Yeah." But he didn't move. He squeezed her hands again, and Annabeth could tell he was trying his hardest not to cry. Sometimes, when things slowed down, everything just hit harder. With full force.

His hands slid over his wrists, her elbows, her shoulders. They rested in the sides of her jaw, and she could feel them trembling. He dropped a light kiss on her lips. Then another one, slightly harder.

"Percy," she breathed against his lips. He kissed her again. "Percy, if you need me there, you'll call me, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you'll text me?"

"Probably more than you'll like."

"Anytime," she said, gripping the front of his shirt and yanking him closer. He looked so crumpled, and she could feel his hurt, as though it bled through his skin. The last thing she wanted was to see him completely broken. She kissed him deeply. "All the time. Promise?"

"I promise."

She buried her face in his neck, and they held each other. Percy's heart was racing, his breathing erratic and short. He was nervous and scared and on the verge of a complete breakdown, but after a few minutes, he cleared his throat and stepped away.

"We should get going," he said, straightening his shirt and nodding. "Grover's getting the rental and meeting me at the hospital so he can drop us off."

"Percy…"

"Annabeth."

He stared back defiantly. A hard stare. One that told her that he didn't want to dwell on it anymore until he had to, until he couldn't do anything but break down. But it wasn't going to be right then and there. And as they were leaving, she was beginning to understand.

He wanted to give his mom the world, and this was all he had.

* * *

Saturday, 6:18 PM

_Percy: Hey Annabeth. Made it to Montauk safely._

_Annabeth: Good xx_

_Percy: How are you?_

_Annabeth: I'm fine, don't worry. Stopped crying and all_

_Percy: I'm sorry_

_Annabeth: Tears can't be avoided when you say goodbye._

_Percy: I know_

_Percy: She cried, too, after you left._

_Annabeth: You should get back to her._

_Percy: She's sleeping. But she's happy to be here._

_Annabeth: Is she still in pain?_

_Percy: Probably_

_Percy: She's almost always in pain but she never really says anything about it_

_Annabeth: Oh god_

_Percy: Annabeth?_

_Annabeth: Sorry_

_Annabeth: Just needed a second_

_Percy: I didn't mean to upset you_

_Annabeth: You didn't, I promise._

_Annabeth: I have to work on a paper, but I'll text you tomorrow._

_Percy: Ok, ttyl_

_Annabeth: ttyl_

_Annabeth: I miss you._

_Percy: It's only been a few hours._

_Annabeth: Just wanted you to know._

_Percy: Ok_

_Percy: Miss you too._

* * *

Sunday, 3:56 PM

_Annabeth: Grace says the person taking your shifts sucks_

_Percy: You're taking my shifts…?_

_Annabeth: Just passing on the message_

_Percy: You could never suck_

_Percy: You're like Einstein_

_Annabeth: You'd be surprised_

_Percy: Is she yelling at you for texting?_

_Annabeth: Nope, I'm on break_

_Annabeth: Now she's making fun of us for making out that one time_

_Percy: I think we should lock up the store next time and do it_

_Annabeth: I don't think she actually cares if we make out_

_Percy: No, do it._

_Percy: On the counter. Next to the pastries_

_Annabeth: Oh my god Percy_

_Percy: I really wish I could see that blush_

_Annabeth: Shut up_

_Annabeth: I think you keep forgetting you're also a virgin_

_Percy: Definitely can't forget that_

_Annabeth: You idiot_

_Annabeth: Break's over, gotta go_

_Percy: Miss you._

_Annabeth: Miss you too._

* * *

Sunday, 10:34 PM

_Annabeth: I am the world's worst barista._

_Percy: The cutest one, actually_

_Annabeth: Shut up, okay_

_Annabeth: I'm serious_

_Percy: Haha. Are you fired yet?_

_Annabeth: No, but she was dropping hints all over the place_

_Percy: How hard is it to make coffee?_

_Annabeth: Shut up._

_Percy: Ok, ok_

_Percy: Don't have to take it so seriously_

_Annabeth: I'm not, I just_

_Annabeth: I'm not good at being bad at something_

_Percy: You don't have to be good at everything_

_Annabeth: I guess_

_Percy: I suck at reading, but you do that all the time_

_Percy: For FUN_

_Annabeth: I'm dyslexic, it's a challenge_

_Percy: See my point?_

_Annabeth: You loser_

_Annabeth: At least you can make food_

_Annabeth: And fucking coffee_

_Percy: Don't make me think about fucking coffee, please_

_Annabeth: Don't be so immature_

_Percy: Says the one who burned iced coffee_

_Annabeth: Okay, I'm not that stupid._

_Percy: I'll make your favourite when I get back_

_Annabeth: What's that?_

_Annabeth: Warning, this is a test_

_Percy: Ah, shit_

_Percy: It IS Chai Tea Latte, right?_

_Annabeth: You've passed._

_Annabeth: For now._

_Percy: What's my favourite drink?_

_Annabeth: Umm_

_Annabeth: In case you haven't noticed, I've never served you anything_

_Percy: Shame. You've failed this test._

_Annabeth: Oh, come on, Percy_

_Percy: I have a lot of black coffee to stay awake_

_Annabeth: So that's your favourite?_

_Percy: Nope._

_Annabeth: You suck._

_Percy: You wish ;)_

_Annabeth: Loser. _

_Annabeth: I gotta sleep. Miss you xx_

_Percy: Miss you too._

* * *

Monday, 5:20 AM

_Annabeth: Why the fuck does Starbucks open at five-thirty in the morning._

_Annabeth: For the record, I fucking hate you._

* * *

Monday, 12:03 PM

_Percy: I do love when a girl swears like a sailor._

_Annabeth: You idiot._

_Percy: Your idiot._

_Annabeth: Not for long._

_Annabeth: Taking a nap, I'll text you later._

_Percy: k. Going for a swim._

_Percy: Didn't bring any swim shorts ;)_

_Annabeth: …_

_Annabeth: Goddammit why are you so forward in texts_

_Percy: Sweet dreams :)_

* * *

Monday, 2:27 PM

_Annabeth: Awake. How was your swim?_

_Percy: Great. I've missed being in the water_

_Annabeth: I don't know how you went swimming AND worked these long shifts_

_Percy: I'm a god ;)_

_Annabeth: You wish._

_Annabeth: How's your mom doing?_

_Percy: She loves it here._

_Annabeth: She really met your dad there?_

_Percy: Yeah_

_Percy: Don't know if it was a summer fling, but she still loves him, I think._

_Annabeth: How do you know?_

_Percy: This place makes her talk about him_

_Percy: She's told me more stories now than she's told me over the past twenty years_

_Percy: He died before he knew she was pregnant._

_Annabeth: :(_

_Annabeth: Is she sleeping now?_

_Percy: Yeah_

_Percy: That's all she really does most of the time now_

_Annabeth: Are you scared?_

_Percy: Of course_

_Annabeth: I wish I were there to help._

_Percy: It's ok_

_Percy: This was the right choice_

_Annabeth: Going alone?_

_Percy: Going to Montauk. This is her favourite place in the world._

_Annabeth: Do you think you'll ever be able to go back there?_

_Percy: Maybe_

_Percy: Sometimes I wish I could never leave, you know?_

_Annabeth: What?_

_Percy: It's just peaceful here_

_Percy: No angry customers_

_Percy: It's quiet_

_Percy: I wish you could see it_

_Annabeth: Maybe one day x_

_Percy: Maybe._

_Annabeth: Miss you, Percy. It's only been a few days, but I really miss you._

_Percy: Missing you, too. I'll text you later._

* * *

Tuesday, 4:12 AM

_Percy: Life isso fucking unfair_

_Percy: You caan work and work ad work and finnnd out there no out_

_Percy: And life throws u a bone_

_Percy: Fkjdhsfsjjjjjjj_

_Percy: Nd everythig is ok four a little bit_

_Percy: And u lov this girl_

_Percy: Then _

_Percy: Its SHIT_

_Percy: All I cann ddo is drunk and drink_

_Percy: Until the only thig I hate_

_Percy: Is me_

* * *

Tuesday, 9:46 AM

_Annabeth: Percy, I swear to god, I don't care how hung over you are, PICK UP YOUR FUCKING PHONE._

* * *

Tuesday, 1:15 PM

_Percy: I just woke up_

_Percy: Are you okay? Should I call you?_

_Annabeth: No, I'm in class_

_Annabeth: But we need to talk_

_Annabeth: When you're not hung over_

_Percy: How did you know I'm hung over?_

_Annabeth: Check what you texted me last night_

_Annabeth: I'll ttyl, the prof is glaring at me_

_Percy: Ok_

_Percy: Shit shit shit_

_Percy: I'm so, SO sorry Annabeth_

_Percy: I've never drank so much in my life_

_Percy: I don't know why I did it_

_Percy: I usually don't b/c of Gabe_

_Percy: It was awful, I'm never getting so drunk again_

_Percy: I'm really sorry. I'm going to rest and then we can talk tonight._

_Percy: Miss you so much._

* * *

Tuesday, 11:05 PM

_Annabeth: I just got home from work. Are you awake?_

_Percy: Yeah, but my mom's not. We should just text_

_Annabeth: Okay_

_Annabeth: Percy, I'm not mad at you._

_Percy: I wouldn't blame you if you were_

_Annabeth: Did you find wine in the cellar or something?_

_Percy: Yeah_

_Percy: It's not even mine, it's the rental cabin's. Don't know what I was thinking_

_Annabeth: I know you're upset_

_Annabeth: But you can't just binge drink until you can't remember what you're doing_

_Percy: You're right._

_Annabeth: I can't even tell you how much I wish I was there_

_Percy: I wish you were here, too_

_Percy: But I really don't want you to see me like that_

_Annabeth: I never want you to BE like that ever again_

_Percy: I won't._

_Percy: I swear._

_Percy: It threw things into prospective, that's for sure_

_Annabeth: What do you mean?_

_Percy: Gabe_

_Percy: I still hate his guts_

_Percy: But now I get it. When life sucks, all you want to do is forget._

_Annabeth: It's not going to solve anything_

_Annabeth: Social drinking is fine, but_

_Percy: I get it. I promise._

_Annabeth: God, you really scared me, Percy._

_Percy: I never meant to. I didn't even mean to text you_

_Percy: I'm just scared. My mom's always sleeping and she can't really walk and I have to put her in the wheelchair_

_Percy: She's getting so thin and pale_

_Percy: She doesn't really eat or drink anymore_

_Percy: And she keeps waking up with fevers and I always have to put cloths on her forehead or wrap her up in blankets_

_Percy: And she bleeds a lot_

_Percy: I'm terrified because I know one of these days I'll wake up and she won't be breathing anymore._

_Percy: Are you still there?_

_Annabeth: Yes, of course_

_Annabeth: I wish I knew what to say._

_Percy: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have unloaded that on you._

_Annabeth: No, you can tell me anything._

_Annabeth: Anytime_

_Annabeth: Should I get Grover to drop me off over there?_

_Percy: No no, you can't stop your life for my mom._

_Annabeth: Not for you?_

_Percy: Annabeth._

_Percy: No._

_Annabeth: Percy, I know we've only known each other for a little over a month_

_Annabeth: But I really care about you. More than I should._

_Percy: No. It's ok. I'm ok._

_Percy: I'm scared, but I need this time with my mom_

_Percy: And texting is helping me get through all the hours she's asleep_

_Annabeth: I don't know how you did this for so long._

_Annabeth: Go to bed. I need to get up early tomorrow, too._

_Annabeth: I miss you xx_

_Percy: Miss you too._

* * *

Wednesday, 5:15 AM

_Annabeth: Five hours of sleep was not a good idea._

_Annabeth: I can't stay awake_

_Annabeth: Grace is making me try black coffee_

_Annabeth: SHE CAN'T MAKE ME._

* * *

Wednesday, 9:47 AM

_Percy: Did you try it?_

_Annabeth: That stuff is magic._

_Annabeth: Or drugs. Can't decide which._

_Percy: :)_

* * *

Wednesday, 9:30 PM

_Annabeth: Can't keep my eyes open._

_Percy: Caffeine rush is gone?_

_Annabeth: Don't even remember it_

_Percy: Goodnight, beautiful. Miss you._

_Annabeth: You loser_

_Annabeth: Night. Miss you. x_

* * *

Thursday, 10:16 AM

_Annabeth: Good morning x_

_Percy: Morning_

_Percy: I'm still in bed_

_Annabeth: Hate you. I'm in class_

_Percy: Wish you were here with me._

_Annabeth: Apparently we don't need the bed_

_Annabeth: Just a counter at Starbucks_

_Percy: You're getting the idea ;)_

_Annabeth: You're corrupting me._

_Percy: God, I hope so_

_Annabeth: Don't make me laugh, I'm in a lecture_

_Percy: So you mean I shouldn't talk about all the stuff I'd do to you in this bed?_

_Annabeth: Shut._

_Annabeth: Up._

_Percy: I think that means I should._

_Annabeth: I think that means you're an idiot._

_Percy: I think that means you're blushing like crazy._

_Annabeth: Didn't I just tell you to shut up?_

_Percy: Ok, ok_

_Percy: I'll ttyl. Missing you even more._

_Annabeth: Just b/c you're in bed._

_Annabeth: Missing you too._

* * *

Thursday, 3:45 PM

_Annabeth: We need to talk._

* * *

Thursday, 6:23 PM

_Percy: That usually means you're going to break up with me._

* * *

Thursday, 8:09 PM

_Annabeth: Don't be stupid._

* * *

Thursday, 10:11 PM

_Percy: Haha ok, ok. What's up?_

_Annabeth: This is kind of stupid._

_Percy: You're never stupid_

_Percy: Unless it comes to food_

_Annabeth: I mean it's not really that big a deal._

_Percy: You're making it a big deal now_

_Annabeth: Shush, I don't mean to_

_Annabeth: It's just that I'm not sure how you'll take it_

_Percy: That's reassuring._

_Annabeth: Okay this is stupid_

_Annabeth: You know how my dad remarried when I was five?_

_Percy: Yeah_

_Annabeth: Well, that's when I met Thalia and Luke._

_Percy: Luke?_

_Annabeth: Yeah. He was our best friend growing up_

_Annabeth: They were my only constant friends. It stayed that way up until this year, when Thalia and I moved_

_Percy: So Luke's still in San Francisco_

_Annabeth: Yeah_

_Annabeth: I don't think he and Thalia have talked at all since we moved to NYC, but they keep denying it_

_Percy: Do you guys talk a lot?_

_Annabeth: We used to_

_Annabeth: I guess we sort of grew apart. He's twenty-six, anyway._

_Percy: Oh_

_Annabeth: I was kind of in love with him growing up._

_Annabeth: Just thought I should warn you_

_Percy: Oh_

_Percy: Why?_

_Annabeth: He's visiting NYC this weekend on a business trip._

_Percy: Oh_

_Annabeth: Please stop saying that_

_Annabeth: I don't have feelings for him anymore, obviously_

_Percy: Right._

_Annabeth: I just wanted you to know._

_Percy: Ok, thanks_

_Percy: I don't suppose you want to come to Montauk this weekend, do you?_

_Annabeth: That was not subtle at all._

_Percy: Completely unrelated, Annabeth._

_Annabeth: Liar._

_Percy: Am not._

_Percy: So when's he getting there?_

_Annabeth: Tomorrow night_

_Annabeth: He's staying at a hotel, don't worry_

_Percy: I'm not worried_

_Annabeth: You shouldn't be._

_Annabeth: I really miss you._

_Percy: I miss you too._

_Annabeth: How's your mom doing?_

_Percy: Not better_

_Annabeth: Are you scared?_

_Percy: More and more each day._

_Annabeth: She'll be at peace soon. No pain, maybe with your dad._

_Percy: That's what's getting me through it all._

_Percy: God, I miss you._

_Annabeth: Miss you too, Percy._

_Annabeth: I'm going to bed. Night._

_Percy: Night, beautiful._

* * *

Friday, 2:33 PM

_Annabeth: Percy._

_Percy: Yeah?_

_Annabeth: I'm really dreading Luke's visit._

_Percy: Why?_

_Percy: You guys didn't date, did you?_

_Annabeth: No_

_Annabeth: I don't know why. He just manages to twist things around sometimes_

_Percy: He hasn't seen you guys in a year_

_Percy: What could he do?_

_Annabeth: Never know with him._

_Percy: I wouldn't worry, Annabeth. Really._

_Percy: Just make sure he doesn't steal my girlfriend_

_Annabeth: You're cute when you're jealous._

_Percy: Shut up._

_Percy: My mom's awake. I'll ttyl. Good luck._

_Annabeth: ttyl x_

* * *

"Why now?"

Annabeth shrugged at Thalia, pulling the hem of her shirt down as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. The nerves were making her jittery and her stomach was in knots, so she opted to focus her thoughts on her clothing.

"Maybe he just misses us?" Annabeth suggested, turning to look at her side.

"Bullshit."

"Why?"

"You'd think he would've visited months ago," Thalia argued, sitting down on Annabeth's bed and running her hands through her short black hair. "I don't think he cares about us anymore."

"He still messages me once a month."

"That doesn't mean anything."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Thalia, why are you so bothered by this? You never said anything before."

"I don't know," she muttered, not looking at Annabeth. "No reason."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Nope," she said, rather bitterly. Annabeth stared at her until Thalia shook out of it, leaping up and heading for the door. "Whatever. Let's go. He hates when we're late, remember?"

"When _you're_ late. I'm never late."

Annabeth was only teasing, but Thalia didn't even crack a smile.

She'd had her suspicions for a long time about this, but Thalia had always insisted that everything was okay. Perhaps it was because Luke was all the way across the country, but now he was here, and Thalia was upset. And Annabeth didn't have a clue why.

"Thalia…"

"Let's go," she all but snapped, and Annabeth shut up.

Luke wanted to meet up for dinner at a nice restaurant near the university. Thalia practically stomped her way over there, muttering angrily under her breath and keeping her arms tightly crossed. Annabeth followed wearily. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to witness what was about to happen. When they reached the restaurant, her breath caught in her throat.

She wasn't sure what she expected when she saw Luke again, but it was a bit like seeing him for the first time. He'd always admired his broad shoulders and his look of leadership, but it had somehow intensified in the last year, working at that big company. He was wearing a business suit, clean and cut, not even a stray blond hair sticking out of place. When Luke looked up from his phone and saw them, his face split into a grin.

Before she knew what she was doing, Annabeth let go of all the unease she'd been getting from him in the past year and hugged him. He hugged back tightly. He smelled of expensive men's perfume, and Annabeth wasn't sure she liked it.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully, letting go of Annabeth and looking to Thalia, who was stubbornly watching. "It's so good to see you guys."

"It's been a long time," Thalia all but growled. Luke's smile faltered for a moment, but he shook it off and led the way inside. Annabeth's nerves twisted in her stomach.

Once they were seated in a booth and had ordered their drinks – Thalia had gotten a particularly strong one – Luke rubbed his hands together nervously. She was determined not to look at him.

"So," he said, trying to keep the mood light, "how are you two?" Annabeth and Thalia exchanged glances.

"Good," Annabeth said. Maybe she'd tell Luke about Percy another day.

"Managing," Thalia added.

"That's great," he said, smiling. He had the kind of smile that actors had, that perfect one that showed all his pearly-white teeth. "Business is doing really well. I was promoted again."

"Congratulations!" Annabeth said just as the waiter arrived with their drinks. She noticed that Thalia took a long gulp of hers. Her nerves grew a little more.

"So, umm –" Luke fumbled with his phone, looking down as it buzzed. He pocketed it hastily. "I have a conference here, but I decided to go because I have something to tell you two."

Annabeth saw Thalia stiffen. "What?"

"Yeah, I didn't – didn't want to tell you over the phone…" Luke looked down distractedly as his phone buzzed noisily. He decided to ignore it and take a sip of his wine. "I have some big news," he announced.

"Yeah?" Thalia said, downing her drink some more. Annabeth knew that Thalia hardly ever drank, and when she did, she wasn't quite so reckless. Thalia drained her glass and set it down roughly on the tablecloth. "What is your _big news_?"

"Thalia…?" Annabeth questioned uneasily, and Thalia glared at her.

"_What?_" she snapped.

"Umm." Luke was more nervous now, gripping his wine glass tightly. "Maybe this isn't a good time."

"No, just get out with it," Thalia told him, leaning back in her booth with her arms crossed, staring him down across the table. "Go on."

"Okay…" He swallowed and directed his gaze to Annabeth. Her phone started buzzing her pocket, but she ignored it. "Well, do you remember Amanda?"

"Amanda?" Annabeth repeated, thinking. "From where? High school?"

"She was in my graduating class in college," he told her, glancing nervously at Thalia. "You know. She had brown hair. A little short."

"The other girl," Thalia spat out.

"Yeah," Luke answered, looking down at the pristine white tablecloth. "Her."

"The other girl…?" Annabeth looked back and forth between Luke and Thalia. He was so uncomfortable and she looked as though she was going to slap him any second. "Wait a minute. What do you mean, _other girl_?"

Luke's gaze snapped back up to Thalia. "You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't say I'd tell her anything," she bit back.

"You said you would."

"I didn't say _shit._"

"Tell me _what_?" Annabeth cut in, feeling jumpy now. Her phone was buzzing again, and without looking at it, she silenced it. "What are you talking about?"

Luke glanced back to Thalia before speaking. "Well… before you guys came here… Thalia and I were dating."

Annabeth suddenly felt light-headed. "What?"

"We were dating," Thalia said stonily, "for two years. We broke up a year ago, right before you started school here."

"You…" Annabeth couldn't find words. Luke and Thalia _dated._ Without telling her. Thalia, _her best friend_, dated Luke, who she'd been in love with since she started liking boys.

"It didn't work out," Luke tried to say, but Thalia cut him off.

"Bullshit," she said angrily, "you cheated on me!"

Annabeth's heart dropped. _No. Luke wouldn't do that._

_Would he?_

Luke looked very guilty. "I'm still really sorry, Thalia. I thought we could move past that."

"Yeah, a bunch of lies," she told him. "Now what's your big news? You're marrying her?"

Luke hesitated, and Annabeth's heart felt as though it'd crushed in her chest.

"You're not," she said weakly. She hated sounding so weak. Annabeth looked back and forth between a furious Thalia and a guilt-ridden Luke. The truth was written on their faces. "You…"

"You weren't supposed to find out like this," Luke said apologetically, and it hit her. Luke _knew_ she was in love with him. He'd known it all along.

"I need to…" Annabeth quickly grabbed her purse, leaving her water and slipping out of the booth. "I need to go…"

"Wait –" But before Luke could tell her anything else – any more lies – Annabeth had fled from the restaurant.

The cool air hit her face as she left, but she didn't stop running. Her flats hit the pavement in smacks. Tears blurred her vision and she didn't know where she was going, or what to _think. _Everything was hurting but her mind had stopped, as though struck frozen. Numb.

Then her phone was buzzing in her pocket again and she stopped. Everything was spinning as she grabbed for her phone out of her pocket, trying to catch her breath. She answered, thinking it was Thalia, probably worried for her. "Hello?"

"Annabeth, she – she's not waking up – _fuck_, Annabeth, what do I do?"

The words stopped her cold.

It wasn't Thalia. It was Percy.

Who'd been trying to call for the past five minutes.

"Percy?" she said, her mind suddenly on overdrive. She gripped her phone like a lifeline. "Percy, where are you?"

"In the cabin," he whispered. His voice trembled all over, on the brink of crying, full of anxiety. "She was just awake an hour ago, but she was tired, and now she's not _breathing _–"

"Shh," Annabeth said as Percy burst into tears. "Did you call the ambulance?"

He heaved for air. "Yeah."

"Go with your mom in the ambulance, okay?" Annabeth said, wiping her tears and looking around. "I'll meet you in the emergency room." She listened to his choked sobs, her heart splitting a little more. Seeing – _hearing_ – Percy's voice, broken with desperation, was more than what she could take.

She could hear him swallow heavily and sniff. Sirens were becoming louder in the background. "Okay. Okay. I think they're here."

"Okay." Annabeth tried to make sense of where she was, heading back the way she had come from. "I'm not far. I'm heading to the hospital now, and I'll see you soon."

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay on the phone?" he asked weakly. "Please?"

Her eyes welled up again. "Of course."

At that point, she would've done anything to fix this mess.

* * *

A/N: *clears throat*

Also, I have nothing against Thalia/Luke, but in this particular story, they're not quite working out at the moment :P

So tons of shit went down... but I hope you liked it :) Please review let me know what you think!


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